Knights of the King
by BeniKaze
Summary: Itachi knew there was little Naruto could do in life when no one would look past his burden. However, the group he was sent to spy on wouldn't think twice about his predicament. This was his way of helping the future generation, by guiding the king that would lead them through the darkness. Itachi x Konan. Naruto x FemKurama I don't own anything but neither do you
1. Chapter 1

**To be honest here, I love this story idea but I've rewritten this almost ten times and each time it sounds like trash. This one just seemed a little less trashy than the other like eight or so I made today. I hope you all enjoy it and let me know how it was.**

' _We acquire the strength we have overcome' ~Ralph Waldo Emerson_

Chapter 1

Itachi was stressed, not because he had just finished slaughtering his clansmen, not because he knelt before his kage for his next mission. No, what stressed and worried Itachi was that he was thinking of something he shouldn't be. There was a situation playing through his mind that would benefit both Konoha and the world. It was time for a change, something that would shock the world to its core and change the future forever.

"Is the thought of being listed as a rouge ninja distressing you that much? Or is it the fact you must spy on the most dangerous organization created in our time?" asked Hiruzen, turning to the kneeling Uchiha.

"Neither, Hokage-sama. What plagues my mind is a plan, one you must hear out." That raised the elders eye brow for Itachi never insisted anything of him before in such a manner. Even when it concerned his sibling, Sasuke.

"Speak your mind, I will listen." And he did, Itachi let the words flow off his mouth, his grand plan for the world. Hiruzen was shocked, both by the plan and by how well thought out this seemed for someone even of his caliber. Because, no matter what, age was a number and it did play a role in your abilities. The fire shadow let these words sink in, he mulled over it, washing through each and every possible scenario before he spoke once more.

"Very well, leave at once and do as you have told me. I trust you, and besides, I owe you this much." No words were uttered as Itachi disappeared in a silent shunshin. The eldest Sarutobi sighed and walked to his office, ignoring his once rival sitting in a chair at the front of his desk while he moved to sit in his own.

"That talk lasted much too long for a simple exchange of words. What did you allow the boy to do? His brother is spared, the Uchiha line will live. Nothing else is needed" said Danzo but the look that his long time friend gave him silenced any more he wanted to say. That was the look of a kage, the one that demanded silence before he spoke.

"Tell me Danzo, do you believe the leaf should crush all villages or let them all exist as they have for decades?"

The war hawk pondered then replied "As much as I would like the leaf to rule all, balance is necessary, therefore more than one major power is needed to sustain such."

"What I've done is allow the creation of someone to challenge this, to an extent. With the birth and upbringing that will be bestowed, certain events will take place that will reshape the world from what it is today. Nothing will stay the same for the time to change the nation is coming. We are not the movers but the ones that will teach them the ways to move. I have done that and now I will let someone else take that mantle, only with a much more qualified mover."

Danzo followed mostly what was said before it clicked "You let the boy take him? I want to be angry but in all honesty, he is the only one besides Kakashi I trust to train him. He may not be the weapon I would create but maybe that's something this world needs."

Hiruzen smiled "I'm relieved you see things the way I do. Now, we only wait to see what becomes of this. Will it build a new monument or simply erode away in the endless sands of time."

With Itachi

He silently dropped to the ground but even with all the skill he possessed his presence was noticed as the figure he landed behind turned. His nearly dead eyes showed no emotion as he turned to the elder Uchiha.

"Would you like to escape here, youngling? Live a life worth meaning around those who don't judge for the burden you possess?" asked Itachi.

"Anything is better than being stuffed in a shitty apartment with a sliver of money, Itachi" said the boy. He showed he held a good grasp with vocabulary and his eyes revealed he experienced what many wound never understand in a lifetime. At such a tender age with such a burden, the boy could bear the weight of the world years from now and move as if it was never there. Itachi knew this, that's why he chose this boy.

"Come then, I'll take you far from here. We'll meet the others a few weeks from now" said Itachi. The boy said nothing as he stood and walked to the Uchiha still donning his blood stained anbu gear. As he jumped on Itachi's back he laid his head down and shut his eyes.

"Thank you, Itachi-nii."

"You deserve this more than anyone, Naruto." With those last words they disappeared, Itachi taking of with speed few could hope to follow. Both boys never turned their heads as the village lights slowly disappeared in the thick cover of trees.

Five days later

"Not bad looking" said Itachi, looking at the garb Naruto and chosen at a small ninja shop just a few miles from their destination. The blonde had on a short sleeved v-neck, a black high collar zip up vest, a crimson jacket tied around his waist, regular black ninja pants, a pouch tied to his right thigh, high top open toed combat boots and blood red bracelets around six inches long. All in all it fit him and covered nearly any climate they needed to be in. Smart. Then again, the boy was always thinking ahead thanks to how well his childhood was in the red light district. They took care of him there, more than anyone else did. They taught him to be like this.

"Follow me, we'll be arriving shortly" said the Uchiha, throwing on the black cloak with red clouds on as they exited the village and moved through a small forest. The two didn't speak as they walked around a large field and came to a stop near a river on the side of a mountain. Naruto could easily see the sealing tag on the giant boulder. He didn't know much about it but he knew those tags could do amazing things. Itachi made a simple hand sign and the boulder inched up, allowing them access before shutting behind them.

"So this is the boy you spoke of" said a figure as torches suddenly lit up the entire cave around them to reveal a small group of men and women. Each one looked so different from each other but the one thing they all shared in common was the black cloak each wore.

"Does this child have anything to offer us?" asked the same man with purple rippling eyes. The woman next to him said nothing as her orange eyes looked him over. The green eyed man paid no heed to him while Naruto saw one man with long black hair eyeing him strangely. It was somewhat unnerving.

"He will, once we train him. He will be our weapon against the nations, our secret that could turn the tide of any battle" said Itachi.

"This boy is too young, he has nothing to bring besides what he holds. I will seal him away and we can extract at a later date." The man lifted his hand and aimed it at him only for the woman standing next to him to place a hand on his outstretched arm.

"We were all once children with no skill but this boy shows promise. He's survived using what he was given, learning from those around him to fend for himself and live off what he could. That alone shows he has the will to live and promise to adapt. Think what we could do with him on our side, a sponge that soaks up everything we teach him and fights for us" said the blue haired woman. Konan didn't voice it but she believed this boy may be the one to stand up to Nagato. Being a container was one thing but both shared pain, both understood one another on some level. This may help him see the path he was walking and lead him to the world they truly wanted.

"I agree with her, this boy may be our very own nation killer if we train him right" said the long haired man. He did have his own agenda in mind but this boy…..was interesting. He had a fire in him, one he'd like to play with some day on the battlefield.

"Very well, we will all take part in this as we build our group up. Each of us will take turns training him and take the boy along for six months at a time. Itachi will start and Konan will be next, followed by myself, Orochimaru then Kakuzu. While doing this keep your assigned tasks, gather funds and recruits as you can. Dismissed."

"So where to now?" asked Naruto, following Itachi towards the exit.

"Nowhere, your training begins now" said Itachi before Naruto felt his body fly across the room.

 **That's a wrap. I most likely won't show much of his training because it'll give too much away into later chapters. This is an AU story, so things won't go like they did in canon. There will be similar elements, ei. Chunin exams, certain missions, but it won't be great. The full scale of Naruto itself will change drastically after the chunin exams. I want to try my hand and ripping apart this and doing something different. Take care everyone! Don't forget to review and tell me how it went!**


	2. Chapter 2

**It's been a while, sorry for that. Ideas for stories haven't been my focus with all the issues I'm having right now but kamui5 really wanted an upload. I tried my best with my health so don't expect perfection here. On with the story!**

Chapter 2

' _Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence' – Vince Lombardi_

Year one

Itachi said nothing as the man in front of him spoke "Pein said to meet you here. I'm going to be traveling with you and the boy for a year before we toss him off to leader and that woman."

Itachi said nothing began to walk deeper into the base "That's fine, it gives me more time to work with him during his first year out of the village. Not that he seems to care…" It was well known Naruto paid nearly no heed to the village and its people. That played a big part in how easy it was to convince the hokage to take him away from the village. However, his burden wasn't why he was shunned to the extent he was in Konoha.

"You've gotta be kidding me" said Hidan, growling as he stood away from the small table. Kakuzu sat on the seat across from Naruto, shakily handing him 11,000 ryo($100).

"That's why you chose that game" said Kakuzu, more upset he was losing money than he had lost the game. He wouldn't say it but he was certainly not going easy on the kid so if he won then it was because he outsmarted him….him….one of the oldest ninja still alive.

"Risk is a tough game, and you just learned to play it so it's understandable why you had a tough time. I knew all the rules and you didn't. Once you do I don't think it'll be that easy to beat you next time" said Naruto but Kakuzu could tell by that last sentence what he really meant. _It won't be that easy but I'll still win._

"Let's go Hidan, Itachi and his new partner has arrived to watch the boy now" said the elder ninja, walking off as Hidan ran after him.

"Nice job, names Kisame kid. Gonna be walking with you for a year starting now" said the tall man with strange shark like teeth, odd tattoos on his face and a large meat cleaver on his back.

Naruto looked back at him and stared unflinching "Cool, I like the sword and your teeth make you scarier."

Juzo's smile widened "We're gonna get along just fine."

"Have you been studying the chakra manipulation book?" asked Itachi as he sat down in front of Naruto.

"I finished it while Kakuzu was playing with me. I got the leaf part and I'm getting better at walking up the cave wall but I haven't gotten try water walking" said Naruto, packing up his game.

"Good, we'll practice more here for a few months and gather intel around Iwa before we circle back and meet up with Konan on the outskirts of Ame. Let's start back up with your physical conditioning." Naruto didn't say much as he followed the elder Uchiha to the large meeting area to begin a new session for his daily workout.

Six months later

"Is this your idea of a good time?" asked Naruto nonchalantly as they sailed through the trees. Well, more of Juzo holding him by the waist as he flew through the forested area near Iwa while being trailed by almost four hunter ninja.

"Meh, we could use a little more behind us. That may get me a little excited but this is nothing" said the tall man.

Before he knew it Naruto threw a kunai behind him and spoke "Drop down a level and speed up." As soon as he went down a large explosion rocked the area and covered around 100 yards in dark grey smoke. Juzo sent a pulse of chakra to his legs and shot off, flying at speeds he rarely moved at just before Naruto spoke again.

"Take a sharp right" said Naruto and he did just that. However, almost immediately after he took a right the swordsman noticed the giant canyon floor staring back at him. Thinking fast, Juzo quickly applied chakra to the bottom of his feet and slammed down hard on the side of the wall as they fell, slowing their decent as they neared the bottom. Just as they reached the end the swordsmen jumped off the wall and landed on the ground, right next to Itachi.

"You're paper said to meet here" said Itachi. It was somewhat getting expected now when he received a strange note from Naruto as he left. He had planned the day's events based on what he observed the day before and whatever else sifted around his mind.

"That was a pretty cool trip this time, got all those goons off my back."

"All but one" said Naruto, turning to watch a lone Iwa anbu appear.

"I left one hole open for someone" said the blonde.

"Why'd you do that?" asked Itachi, staring at the man just a few dozen feet from him.

"There was no by chance manner to find us like this, at least for someone of his caliber. Those hunter ninja don't coordinate enough to get that done. This guy was near the back, just watching things play out the entire time we were running. If he made it through it was because he paid a lot of attention and slid through them all specifically to meet us. He knows he can't win, he's scared. His posture says so."

The man shifted his weight to the other leg "That was some plan kid, really intricate. You planned every little detail, knew how those dimwits would act and how that big blue man would move about too. Looks like I found the one I wanted to hand this off to." The anbu slowly moved his hand to the pouch on his back and pulled out an old red book before tossing it in front of him.

"Take that, it's a book that was made during the ages before chakra and preserved with seals. That book has a set of challenges that only someone who thought like you could break. I do warn you though, a second person to accompany you is almost a requirement. The two that made this made sure of that."

"Thanks" said Naruto, walking from behind the man and picking up the book as his shadow clone dispersed next to a surprised Juzo.

The shocked anbu shook his head "You'll definitely be the one for those challenges. Goodbye, may we meet again." In an odd move his entire body slowly dispersed into sand and carried through the windy cavern. Itachi narrowed his eyes but said nothing, there was something off about it but he couldn't quite place it. He would need to speak with Jiraiya or Hiruzen soon about this strange man. The book only raised more question but if they wished to kill Naruto he could have done so ages ago.

"It won't open so I'll just keep it till it does" said Naruto, tossing the matter aside as he slid the book into his small backpack.

"We'll focus on all that later, we need make our way out of Iwa to meet up with Pein" said Itachi.

"You wanted to travel to the opposite end, not me" responded Juzo with a shrug walking beside his partner as Naruto trailed behind them.

Six months later

"He looks relatively unharmed" said Pein, mentioning Naruto as Itachi and Juzo stood in front of him and Konan.

"We watched over him well. Is this all?" asked Itachi.

"Yes, leave" said Pein.

"Bye Itachi-nii, Kisame-nii" said Naruto, waving at the two. Itachi nodded his head back and Juzo gave a toothy grin with his wave as they walked out of the tower.

"What did the train you in?" asked Konan, going straight to the point. She had been exchanging letters with Itachi for some time for reports on the boys progress for Pein. There was no reason she needed to baby him by what Itachi had spoken of. He was extremely smart, his ninja skills were mostly average but the way he used them was what kept him in such high standings with herself.

"Pretty much basics, tree climbing, water walking, building up my reserves, getting really good will all kinds of basic ninja gear. I did learn the shadow clone jutsu from him so I could learn quicker but I don't use it for anything besides memorization mostly. I do know a few wind jutsu though, and that's about it."

"How adapt are you in them?" asked Pein, walking through the kage tower in Ame.

"Not too good, I just memorized the hand signs a few weeks ago."

"Konan, take him outside and train him in the wind jutsu he's started" said Pein, walking off deeper into the room. Naruto didn't say anything as Konan led him around the large tower, keeping his mouth shut and memorizing every little detail of it as they moved through. What still upset him was the constant rain that fell from the sky.

"That jutsu is annoying" said Naruto out loud as they arrived at a large hall with an opening to the outside, easily big enough for him to practice jutsu and train.

"What jutsu?" asked Konan, wondering what he meant.

"The rain, I can sense chakra really well. I feel it connected to that guy upstairs so he must be the one causing it. Why must he make it so annoying, why not something simple?" Konan was shocked, outright shocked and didn't even try to hide it. This young boy, barely in the city for a few hours and he'd already figured such a large scale jutsu out like child's play. Maybe keeping him as their own weapon would be a certain advantage and the light Nagato needed.

"I couldn't tell you why he chose that jutsu but do not tell anyone of its use."

"Itachi already knows, that's why Pein can't ever find Itachi in his city" said Naruto, rummaging through his back pack and pulling out a scroll.

"This is the scroll Itachi got me for wind jutsu. I've gotten two hand seals memorized but nothing else so far."

"Summon some clones and I'll get some scrolls we have with wind jutsu. They will focus on memorizing the hand seals and then you can practice them afterwards" said Konan, turning on heel as Naruto summoned six clones.

"I hope she gets a little more active, Itachi and Juzo were quiet too" Naruto said to himself as he started back up on his scroll.

1 ½ year later

"This boy is very interesting" said Sasori, watching him fight Orochimaru while both wielded kunai. Orochimaru was famed for his kenjutsu, the snake like man could evade almost any attack and strike wherever convenient but Naruto expected all this. He could summon a clone with one hand to parry his strike while the real one prepared a wind jutsu. His strikes were weak, and showed his inexperience but at the same time he made up for it by how quickly he could think. Sasori had never met or even heard of anyone like this child, even Itachi wasn't as gifted when it came to his mind.

"Times up, my turn to teach now" said Sasori and Orochimaru stopped his advances.

"Go easy on the boy, he's a bit tired" said the sanin before he retreated to rest on a tree branch nearby.

"Get your ninja wire out, I'll be teaching you how to manipulate them with chakra" said Sasori, slowly stepping out of his puppet and showing his original wooden body.

"Sure thing" said Naruto, walking to his backpack and rummaging around.

1 year later

"You're trying too hard to get these guys" said Naruto, as he, Kakuzu and Hidan waited for a rouge ninja to approach them on one of his normal routes.

"What do you mean?" asked Kakuzu.

"It's like Risk, you don't need to wait then attack once they encounter you. Just lay a trap so when they get near the trap does the work" said the blonde before a large man suddenly fell down in front of them, tied up in ninja wire.

"I figured with his size and his normal route through these thick trees there was only two ways he could fit on the branches. I laid ninja wire on both area's above so that one or the other would capture him."

Hidan smiled as he ran off to kill the man while Kakuzu turned to Naruto "You get to help me hunt from now on when we aren't training."

Naruto shrugged "Give me some of the profit and I'll be fine."

Six months later

"So he really did, took him long enough" said Naruto, looking at Kakuzu.

"You knew he'd defect?"

"I had my suspicions, and the way he acted when Itachi was brought up was a dead giveaway. Nonetheless, he was a good teacher."

 _Flashback_

" _Naruto-kun, there are things you need to always remember when facing a problem" said Orochimaru as Naruto sat down in front of the sanin._

" _What's that?"_

" _Don't shy away from help if it's offered, especially if you need it. If you can make friends that share a common goal with you don't ever let them go. They will be what can make or break you this young and the years to come. My two partners may not see eye to eye like we used to but in my early years they helped me build myself up to what I am today. Never forget that, you don't have to do everything alone"_

 _End Flashback_

"Well, you'll be going to meet your genin team for Ame a block from here in the indoor training field. Good luck playing with those kids" said Hidan.

"Oh joy, I'll love it" groaned out Naruto sarcastically as he began to walk off down the street.

"Try not to kill them" said Kakuzu before he and his partner turned heel the other way. Naruto just sighed as he walked through the rain, his straw hat blocking the water that would fall on his body. This genin team, even the jonin, would be nothing like those he had been with for so long. This would be child's play but he needed this, the experience. He had to see everything he could to have a plan for nearly every style possible. However, as he walked in the door and moved to the assigned room he could just sense the low levels inside.

"I hate that ring eyed leader" said Naruto softly before he opened the door and saw his team in their own personal indoor training room. The brown haired boy closest to him seemed pretty decent as far as looks, above average build for a genin, his chakra was slightly higher than the other one but he could tell by his eyes the boy had no experience outside the academy. He had on what nearly every other genin in the village wore, a steel grey long sleeve jacket, black pants and closed toed combat boots. What piqued his curiosity the most about the boy was the sword on his back. He wondered how well he could use that, and if he could he'd be an amazing front line fighter.

Now, the girl sitting on a large rock near the boy seemed…..quite different. Her chakra wasn't anything special, her body type was fit but nothing pronounced in her posture to state she'd been extremely athletic or something of the sort. She had on a large that reached almost to the floor but he could make out what was underneath, a plain white t-shirt, grey pants, closed toed combat boots and…..a definite outline of a bow. She was an archer, quite interesting indeed and somewhat rare with ninja so she'd certainly be an interesting addition to the team. Her short pure white hair was an oddity though, it was an oddity nearly anywhere in the world.

Naruto's attire wasn't anything special, a sleeveless crimson shirt, black pants, open toed combat boots, black gloves with the Ame plates on the back while both his arms were wrapped fully in black bandages with gold edges. His attire had changed but it suited him since he had finished a trip near Konoha which was in the middle of their summer season.

"So you're the new kid?" asked the boy, shifting from one leg to the other as the girl behind him looked up. Her gold eyes and black slits instantly set Naruto's mind racing, that wasn't a human trait. Could she be a half breed?

"Yeah, Naruto."

"I'm Aki."

"I'm Kiyo" said the girl just before a jonin walked in through the door behind Naruto and shut it. This guy certainly seemed out of the ordinary for Ame ninja. He had on the regular jonin vest, shirt, pants and boots but his sleeves were rolled up and he wore fingerless white gloves. His cold purple eyes seemed to shine under his pitch black hair.

' _Hand to hand specialist, odd'_ thought Naruto.

"Hello, my name is Ren Nora, team four's jonin instructor. As you've been told this team was put together with those who haven't gone through the entire academy system or they were given permission to skip the academy. I am ordered to test you all with a created challenge made by the jonin and chunin commander of the village. There are three scrolls hidden throughout this room and those who find at least one scroll before the time limit given expires then you pass the test. Once I had you the clue you have two hours to find your scroll." Ren pulled three strips of paper out of his pocket, handed each one their slip before disappearing in a burst of smoke. As soon as he left the three opened their notes and read aloud.

"Sturdy but smooth, untouched by light" said Aki.

"Pooling but ever swirling, gentle and ferocious" said Kiyo.

"Shifting shifting, weightless but relentless" said Naruto. After they read Aki and Kiyo moved around the large indoor ground, looking for what they believed the clue led to. They searched in different places but Kiyo realized her note first an hour in.

"The small pool!" shouted the white haired girl, running to the water and lifting a scroll from the bottom. Aki growled but continued to look which paid off in the end when he found his buried under a large rock with just five minutes to spare. However, as he was celebrated with Kiyo they both noticed Naruto had yet to even move from his spot.

"We could have helped if you needed it" said Aki.

"Yeah, you just had to ask" said Kiyo but Naruto smiled and held his hand up.

"No need, I knew were mine was the instant I walked in the room. These things have seals that are touch sensitive so a constant, but small, string of chakra is needed to keep it active with a low level sealing jutsu. I just followed it to where I knew mine was. Here" said Naruto, shoving his hand in the sand he stood on before pulling up his scroll.

"See? That and those notes were easy anyway."

"Well at least all three of you past to make a full team" said Ren, appearing in between them all, tossing them each a headband.

"Meet here tomorrow at seven so we can get started on some low level missions" said Ren.

"Shouldn't we have an introduction to know everyone better?" asked Naruto, wanted to know more about these people he just met.

Ren shrugged "Sure, why not? I'm Ren, uh, I like stormy weather and sweet. I don't like women too much, or animals. Hmm…..I have a hobby of just sitting it the rain, and I guess a dream of mine is to marry before too long."

"I'm Aki, I like to train with my katana, hang with my older brother who's a elite jonin here and relax by a pool. I don't like sour stuff, or tomatoes and abusive people. My hobby is looking for better weapons and a dream of mine is to be better than my brother."

"I'm Naruto, I like sweets, training and most of the Akatsuki members that trained me. I kinda dislike that ring eyed man who bosses me around and I hate people who make assumptions on things they know nothing about. My hobby is…..a secret and my dream is to have a strong group that shares a common goal."

"I'm Kiyo, I like to get better with my bow, reading, spicy foods and enjoy nature. I don't like those who are wasteful, people who hate nature or sweet things. My hobby is reading up on seals so I can get better and my dream is to find out who killed my parents and paralyzed my little brother when I was young."

"Alright….kinda of ended on a dreary note there. See you all at seven" and with that the jonin disappeared once more.

"So you really were traveling with those guys like the others said" said Aki.

"Yeah but I can't speak about it. Secrets to keep and all" said Naruto, walking out of the room and towards the apartments just a few blocks from the training grounds. Konan was kind enough to find him a home and use the village funds to pay for his first few months so he could buy furniture and other items before he took over the payments with the money Kakuzu gave him.

' _I wonder if these guys will share any kind of common goal with me'_ thought Naruto as he walked home.

Two months later

"How'd you get us into this situation?" asked Aki, watching as Naruto as he stared down two somewhat unknown A-rank criminals.

"Keto and Mi, teaming together. What an odd couple" said Naruto, keeping his calm composure on the outside while he scanned through countless scenarios of battle in his mind.

"We've only come to offer a warning to you and the group you're affiliated with" said Keto.

"The underground is talking and is planning attacks on these members, a wholesale slaughter is what they want of Akatsuki. Nothing left, not Ame, not their leader and not you" said Mi.

"So?" responded Naruto.

"We want to know if it's worth the trouble helping them or not. Is it worth our time to use our own network of people throughout the lands to plan these assaults?" asked Keto.

"No, it won't. These men are nothing like the books say and even an army of A-rank ninja couldn't take them down unless you get the five nations in on it. Actually, even then you would suffer heavily casualties. Itachi and his partner will slaughter all, Sasori alone can eradicate armies and his partner is just as well versed in mass extermination. Their leader is more frightening then most of the Akatsuki, that plan will never stand a chance." Naruto's group was in awe, they learned early on he was smart, extremely smart, but this was a whole other level.

"Very well, I've gotten what I need. Take care" said Keto before he disappeared.

"I may come back to play with that sensei of yours" said Mi before she too disappeared.

"She liiiiiikes you" said Naruto turning to Ren with a smile who returned with a scowl.

"Shut it, and we'll worry about all that business later. We've got to get to wave before Konoha raids Gato's base. We need everything valuable in there."

"His base is actually in the deep forested area behind Wave, we'll have to go through the unfinished bridge ahead, but….."

"But what?" asked Aki

"Sensei, there is a Konoha team fighting Zabuza and someone I assume to be his partner" said Naruto and Ren frowned.

"Who's winning?"

"No one, it's evenly matched. The one I assume working with Zabuza has two genin surrounded, another genin is protecting who I assume to be the bridge builder since he was a high priority while the jonin is against Zabuza."

Ren let his thoughts mull for a moment _'Lady Angel had said to listen to this boy's plans no matter what. He was supposed to be something of a Nara but even greater at such a young age. I'll go with his plan this time and see how things pan out.'_

"What's the best plan of action with what you can sense?" asked the jonin, surprising the other two genin their sensei was asking the new kid, no matter how smart he was.

"Take Zabuza and his assistant, their backs are facing us. We'll have to move quick before the Konoha team realizes were there too so they don't give away us sneaking up on them. Kiyo, once we get to the edge of the bridge stay back and wait. I want you to fire a lightning discharge arrow and dome of ice directly center at your aim. Once it hits, I'll jump Zabuza with Aki while Ren charges to catch the assistant off guard. Capture, don't kill the assistant. A hyoton user is too rare to miss but Zabuza is expendable" said Naruto, staring through the forest towards the bridge just past the line of trees.

"We'll go with that now, just move quick" said Ren, taking off with his team by his side.

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Zabuza was having a pretty good time at the moment. He was having his fun tossing around a still recovering Kakashi while his partner was single handedly dealing with the Uchiha boy and their odd civilian genin. Yes, today would have been a great day before he sensed a mass of projectiles flying towards him. In a quick move, the swordsmen swung his massive weapon around, letting it deflect the few dozen kunai and shuriken sent his way. Zabuza was too focused on looking for the owner who threw the weapons and keeping his sensory on Kakashi to look beyond the projectiles. In a cloud of smoke, Naruto appeared on the projectiles before using two left on the ground to render Zabuza's left leg nearly useless for combat.

The tall man quickly swung his sword around to rid the pest but frowned behind his mask when he popped back into smoke. As Zabuza looked for his target he sensed chakra coming from his sword, specifically the small mouse on it. The blonde boy once more appeared in a cloud of smoke, this time arching forward to send his fist into the man's skull. Luckily for the eyebrowless man he lifted his sword in the nick of time to let the boys fist fly past his head then Zabuza felt it. The dark chakra that leaked out of his arms invaded his senses and only then did he also see the red demonic eyes of the blonde staring at him as he passed overhead.

The boy softly landed in front of him and stared at him from his crouched position.

' _Odd stance, he looks like some crouched animal'_ thought the swordsmen as he dragged his sword around to swing again but the sword never made a full swing, falling just besides Naruto when Kakashi's lightning covered hand appeared from Zabuza's chest. Not even a second later Aki appeared, cutting of the head and quickly sealing it off before tossing it to Naruto and jumping back to his partners side.

"Zabuza-sama!" shouted the ice user, rushing out of his ice prison and speeding towards Kakashi. However, just as he left his ice mirror Ren suddenly appeared, slamming him to the ground and knocking him unconscious.

As Kakashi dropped Zabuza's body he turned to the jonin _'So they brought out their best jonin with Naruto on their team. That's expected, and these genin aren't like other fresh crop.'_

"We'll be taking this one and that sword, Hatake. I'm sure you have no problems with it" said Ren, tying up the ice user and tossing him over his shoulder before looking to the bridge builder.

"As things stand now, our village would also like trade rights since we helped take care of your problem."

"Fine with me, more business for this place" said Tazuna, not caring who wanted to trade.

"The second wave is here, sensei" said Aki, causing everyone to turn and see around a hundred bandits getting onto the other side of the bridge after their contractor.

"Looks like the demon and his boy didn't do so well. Pity. I'm sure these men will clean this mess up" said Gato, smiling.

"You're disgusting, truly, it's hard to put up with you" said Naruto, walking up to the short man and stopping just a few feet away.

"What would a brat like you know?"

Naruto smirked "More than you would think. Kiyo, if you please." In less than a second after he spoke an arrow pierced the short man's head right through the middle. He stood, leaning in a few different directions before falling to the side. Naruto hummed as he picked up the man's cane and stepped over his body before addressing the group of shocked bandits.

"You've got two choices, tell me where his base is at or we'll slaughter you all" said Naruto bluntly, looking rather bored to the group. Slowly, they all regained their confidence staring down the younger boy.

"Oh yeah, what are you gonna do, boy?" asked one man.

Naruto smirked "What am I going to do? I'll give you a little glimpse." Quicker than they expected he threw a kunai at the head of one bandit towards the back and a split second later over a dozen more were engulfed in an explosion caused by a small tag on the kunai.

"Anything else?" asked Naruto, his eyes now red again with black slit pupils.

"North of here, past the waterfall, deep in the forest" shouted one bandit in front.

"Thank you, now run along" said Naruto and they did just that, running to the ship and sailing for open water.

"You let them live?!" shouted Tazuna.

"A heavy storm is coming this way within the next two hours, they won't survive" said Naruto, walking towards the edge of the bridge.

"Let's head to the base, I'll meet you soon" said Ren, letting his genin take off.

"Patch up your wounds, finish this bridge. I hope it goes smoothly from here" said Ren as he walked to the end of the bridge.

"I know I have little to say to him, after all I didn't do well when I had the chance but keep Naruto safe" said Kakashi.

Ren shook his head "You truly know nothing about that boy and what he's capable of." With those final words he took off into the tree line after his own genin team.

1 ½ hour later

"That place was huge but all those files were filled with important information" said Aki, tying up the large sealing scroll before tossing it on his back.

"It's good we found this before anyone else but we need to head back to the village" said Ren, ushering the three out and leading them through the trees. They had to travel through a portion of Konoha, and River to get to Ame. Konoha was right in the direct path to Ame so the next best option was to go around through River which was a mostly neutral area. The Konoha region was the most dangerous part of the trip. They had to pass through a vast expanse of the area and keep under the radar before speeding through River. It went well for the majority of the run but as they reached the last bit of Konoha land Naruto stopped and his team followed suit.

"I can sense two chunin with near low jonin reserves on the way here. They're fast, we've got less than forty seconds. Take Aki and Kiyo a mile from here and pick me up after you feel my chakra die down. Things will get really messy and after that I won't be able to move for a few hours" said Naruto, turning to his right and facing the thicket of forest.

"Naruto, we can't-"

"With the authority level Labyrinth given to me by Konan, advisor and successor to Pein, you must do as I command. It won't take longer than a minute for this battle to be over, no matter who wins. Now go, we've got twenty two second left." Ren gritted his teeth but pushed the other genin along through the forest a quarter of a mile away. If Lady Angel trusted the boy as such to give him the password for an order used to direct anbu they he should as well. He just hoped the boy wouldn't kill himself in the process of beating these foes.

With Naruto

As soon as his sensei left his bandages, and tucked them inside his pocket. They were a gift after all, he wouldn't toss these away like medical wrap. The blonde began to stretch his arms, loosening them up and letting chakra pour into them. The seals etched from his fingers to his shoulders covered much of his skin. They seemed written, set in perfectly straight lines but closer inspection would show they were tattooed on his skin. **(Similar to the curse mark of heaven Sasuke gets.)** Just as he finished his stretches three chunin stopped in front of him. One was above to his left, another above to his right and who he assumed the leader was facing him directly.

"Looks like we caught a little Ame ninja out here" said the lead chunin with a smirk.

"Where's your team? There's no way a kid would get tossed in our turf" said the man on the right. The man on the left stayed silent and that cold look in his eyes told Naruto he would be the most dangerous. He needed to be eliminated first. Just as the man in front of Naruto opened his mouth again a flood of demonic chakra poured out of Naruto, more specifically his arms. The seals were now glowing deep red but they weren't the only things that changed. His eyes and changed, the pupils turning into cat like slits and his blue eyes shifted to the color of blood. Naruto's hair seemed wilder too as his whiskers darkened and his nails elongated and ended in points.

"A jinchuuriki" said the man on the left, speaking first just before a kunai was slammed into his skull.

' _Fast'_ thought the two men just before an explosive tag went off near the one on the right, blowing him to shreds and forcing the one below to take off backwards.

"How did he place that there without anyone knowing?!" shouted the last man to himself just before he saw the boy appear above him again.

" **Die'"** was all Naruto said before shoving a fist into his opponents stomach. The blow was so powerful it send him flying towards the ground before he hit the earth with a massive impact. The shockwave from the blow delivered cut down nearly a quarter mile of tree line and left a creator where they once stood. Naruto let himself descend and land on the creator of tree line before wrapping his arms back up, his look returning to normal as the demonic chakra that was pushed into him died off. He could already sense his teammates and sensei nearing him. It was a good thing, he couldn't stay awake any longer anyway.

" _ **Sleep, my dear. You've certainly earned it"**_ said a womanly voice, reverberating through his head. As soon as he felt his sensei was within ear shot Naruto let his mind slip before his limp body fell on top of the fallen tree he stood on.

 **Viola, chapter two is done! I hope it's not too bad, I've been feeling ill for a few weeks now and with me working outside contract labor it doesn't help my situation. Thankfully, my girlfriend is always there to cheer me up and keep me happy during all the struggling my family and I are going through. I hope everyone else is safe and if you ever need to talk send me a PM. Be safe everyone, good luck in life.**


	3. Chapter 3

' _Only humans, with their short lifespan, are driven to solve every problem they encounter. It is how they live' ~ Lelei la Lelena GATE_

Chapter 3

Naruto said nothing as his eyes opened and he expanded his senses to feel his surroundings. He could smell the rain already laying in his room at what he would only assume to be a hospital judging by layout of the room. Rain didn't mean home though so he decided to pin point something familiar…just as he did Konan arrived at his bed side.

"Yo" said Naruto, turning to face her. He could feel his body was barely wanting to move as it was which told him he hadn't been out long.

"Already up and I felt you searching with that demonic chakra sensing technique of yours" said Konan. She knew, every Akatsuki member knew, how he used his bijuu's chakra as 'feelers' which was much more accurate than most sensor types.

"If I woke up in Kusa, even if they are under the table allies, I'd have planned an escape route and left. Trust your home, not your neighbors" said Naruto and Konan said nothing in return for she knew it was true. Allies meant little in this world, even the Akatsuki was a shaky deal only held together because it kept the S-rank criminals busy.

"Fair enough, you just arrived here a few hours ago. Your body suffered heavy chakra toll through 'a sudden push of unknown chakra through the system.' It'll take around two weeks for full mobility to be regained You're allowed to leave once you regain consciousness but someone must check you out" said Konan, looking at his medical chart.

"So three days and some rest should do" said Naruto, sitting up. His entire body groaned in a low, irate pain he decided to ignore for the moment.

"There has been…complications with you living quarters."

"Complications?"

"Someone in the same apartment block had an issue with another tenant, both shinobi. They got drunk and things got out of hand resulting in some water jutsu destroying the property. You were given a small sum of money from the landlord and we've given you the money for the mission which was moved up to a low A- rank for encountering Zabuza."

"So what do I have left now?" asked Naruto, knowing she knew his account balance.

"The mission reward was 200,000, the apartment was 5,000 and your balance before was around 6,245,000 which brings you too 6,450,000 in total" said Konan. She knew he had a lot thanks to working with Kakuzu to get bounties but the amount he had saved was ridiculous for someone his age. Then again, so was working with S-rank criminals. **($645,000 in US currency.)**

"Alright, I guess I'll ask my team first before I go house hunting again. I wouldn't mind living with someone instead of by myself forever. I'll get back to you on the side project later" said Naruto, slowly getting up and sliding his legs off the bed. As he put weight on his feet he felt his body groan while he stood upright.

"Take things slow for a while. You've got visitors" said Konan and with that she disappeared in a shunshin just as the door opened to reveal Kiyo.

"Oh, you're up!" said the white haired girl with a smile before entering. As she did Naruto noticed she was wearing civilian clothing, a plain grey shirt and black pants with typical ninja sandals many wore as common shoes. Naruto also realized he still had the black wrapping around his arms but besides a pair of white pants he didn't have anything else on.

"Can you hand me some clothes in the closet there" said Naruto as his teammate walked in. She nodded her head and pulled out a plain black jacket the hospital provided and close toed shoes. Kiyo set the shoes down for him to slide his feet into before helping him put the jacket on since his body wasn't exactly in the state to dress himself just yet.

"Did the doctor come in already?" asked Kiyo, zipping up his jacket.

"No, I've just got to have someone check me out of here. Then I've gotta find a place to live since apparently mine was destroyed in a drunk ninja grudge match."

"My family has a house with an extra room you can stay in for a while until you get back on your feet."

Naruto mulled it over before smiling "That sounds wonderful, thank you." His female teammate nodded her head and walked with him and his somewhat slow pace through the hospital and to the sign out sheet.

"Ah, the doctor left a note saying all I needed to do was sign my friend out" said Kiyo, speaking to the front desk clerk.

"Just write your name, then his name and the time you clocked him out" said the woman, scanning through papers. Kiyo filled the information out before returning to his side and leading him through the streets, holding an umbrella for the both of them.

"How far is your house?" asked Naruto, realizing his body was certainly not cut out for a long walk.

"Right here" said Kiyo, tugging his jacket and turning him right to face a somewhat large three story home. Like most Ame houses they had small foundations to fit in the tight, metal, dreary city life style but it had three stories to make up for the lack of width. Kiyo, opened the door and let him in before shaking off the umbrella and walking in herself. She shut the door and placed it near the door before turning to see Naruto waiting for her nearby.

"I don't want to just prance around your home, invited or not."

Kiyo smiled "That's fine, I'll show you around. The bottom level is just for guests and gatherings so everyone is kept mostly in one area. The kitchen and dining is upstairs along with my parent's room, my brothers room, my room and the guest room are all on the third floor. Did you want to eat or go straight to your room?"

"I'd like something to eat then I'll get some more rest. My bodies really sore and I'm still pretty tired. I'll go clothes shopping tomorrow" said Naruto. Kiyo nodded her head and lead him to the second story before motioning to one of the bar stools on the bar between the kitchen and the dining room.

"Take a seat, I'll bring my brother down and start dinner" said his female teammate. Naruto nodded his head and turned to face the kitchen. The house was quaint, rather simple, few decorations but it made it easier to keep clean with less things in the way.

" _ **Be careful what you do for a few days, your body is really straining after pushing that much chakra through. I'm working on repairing what I can but with the damage caused by the massive push of chakra there's only so much I can do. Just rest and try not to use any chakra for at least two days"**_ said the voice from inside his head.

" _ **I will be careful with what I do. Thank you for letting me know, I'll see you soon."**_

" _ **Good, cause I miss my Naru-chan!"**_ Naruto groaned at the teasing nickname but he kept it short when he heard footsteps on the stairs behind him. He turned to see Kiyo walking behind her brother who was slowly walking down the steps with the use of a crutch and the railing. Once he made it all the way down his sister handed him his other crutch and he made his way over to Naruto and sat down at the table behind him.

"Your teammate, I assume. Name's Kain, I'm her older brother." Kain looked pretty normal for a 30 something man to Naruto, short brown hair, brown eyes, average build and height. It was actually odd, he seemed so normal it was kind of hard to picture him has Kiyo's brother.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you" said Naruto, moving to sit across from him.

"So, tell me Mr. Uzumaki. What brings the plus one of Akatsuki everyone's been hearing about to a genin team?"

"My battle tactics far surpass most but my skills in battle and over all experience don't add up to much. I've only been in a handful of actual battles, and even fewer that had an enemy on the other side. I may have experience watching S-rank ninja move but my experience and skills are just scratching chunin" said Naruto. He felt something off in Kain's tone, his overall body language was….upsetting. He was playing words, just observing until he hit him with some kind of revelation.

"That's respectable, working for what you want, not letting friends in high places get you everything. There aren't too many people like that nowadays" said Kain, leaning back with a sigh.

"I don't want to be handed anything in this world. If I want to survive I need to work for it, dig from the core up to what I want" said Naruto, looking at Kain who smiled.

"I like that, you're quite the kid. I do have one question for you though. Why'd you and your friends slaughter my home village?" Everything in the apartment froze, Kiyo stopped stirring the soup and Naruto said nothing as he looked into the now cold brown eyes of Kain.

"I'm not sure what you talking about. For one, I don't know what all our members do all the time and two they wouldn't go killing an entire village like that without severe punishment which everyone would know about." That was the truth, Pein didn't want to attract attention or kill those who didn't need to be killed simply for fun. He was very strict on that, both Konan, Kakuzu and Itachi helped enforce that rule.

Kain kept his calm composure and spoke again "Then why was it I saw someone wearing a cloak only Akatsuki wear kill my friend, my family and walk away as if on an early morning stroll?"

"As I said, I don't know where everyone has-"

"THEN GO FIGURE IT OUT YOU PIECE OF FILTH!" shouted Kain, slamming his hand on the table. Then Naruto looked up at him, brown eyes met crimson and now he knew he had taken things too far. He let his anger get the best of him and instead of a civil conversation he was about to start a battle in his own dining room. Those were the eyes of a demon, his people knew them well for they were an old village, one who had seen the plague of demons before the two great sages appeared. He was taught the signs as he turned 18 but his sister wasn't. Kain needed to tread carefully with this one, he was no match for this child in his condition.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! KAIN, GO UPSTAIRS AND I'LL BRING YOU YOUR DAMN DINNER LATER!" shouted Kiyo. That came as a shock to Kain, his sister almost never raised her voice, especially at him. He knew now he definitely crossed a line he shouldn't have. As soon as Kiyo spoke Naruto's eyes returned to normal and he let out a heavy sigh. Just pulling a small amount, nearly nonexistent was enough to tire him more. Kain said nothing as he moved to the stairs and slowly made his ascent with his partially moving legs.

Just as he was getting out of sight he spoke "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it that far." With that said, he disappeared, going to his room upstairs which left Naruto and Kiyo downstairs. Kiyo prepared the rest of the meal in silence before serving miso soup with fried pork and green beans. Naruto quietly thanked her before she sat down next to him.

"I'm…so sorry about that. I knew he knew more but I didn't think it was that bad. He never speaks about it to me" said Kiyo, stirring her soup as Naruto took a bite of one of the straps.

"It's not something I expected but I guess I'd get some hate from what I did in the past. I still have no idea what he's talking about. No current member I could think of would do anything like that, besides Hidan but Kakuzu keeps him in check really well."

"I see…." Naruto and Kiyo finished their food in silence before Naruto slowly got up as Kiyo put the dishes away.

"I'll start helping around the house as soon as I can move normally again" said Naruto as he slowly ascended the stairs before letting Kiyo lead him to the room at the far right end of the hall. She opened the door and held it open for him to walk in. He saw it was somewhat large but empty, there was only a bed, a small knight stand and a simple lamp sitting on it.

"Sorry it's not well furbished. We haven't had any need to use it for some time now so we just keep it dust free in case we did. Is there anything else you need?" asked Kiyo, still standing at the door as Naruto walked to the bed and sat on it.

"No no, thank you so much for all of this. I'll do what I can tomorrow to help out and get some clothes back too" said Naruto.

Kiyo smiled "I look forward to helping you tomorrow, sleep well." With that she shut the door and left Naruto alone in the room.

"May as well get some rest, but I haven't meditated in a while so I guess it's time to do both again" said the blonde as he walked to the center of the room then sat down with his legs crossed and pressed his hands together. He began to slow his breathing and as he did he felt the world around him fade away before it shifted.

Mindscape

The feeling of carpet changed to smooth stone before he felt two arms wrap around him and pull him close. Naruto opened his eyes and saw the bamboo surrounding most of him and the blue sky above with moderate cloud cover. Then he focused on the owner of the arms who was currently pressing up against him from behind.

"There's my favorite blonde!" said a voice which was evidentially woman.

"I'm the only blonde you even like at the moment, Hitome." Naruto was quickly spun around to face the one who was behind him. She was currently kneeling, wearing a plain crimson kimono with a golden obi tied around her waist. The dress was similar in color to her long hair which reached nearly to her waist and her red eyes with cat like slit pupils. All in all she looked rather human, besides the pointed nails, eyes and long canines. An odd ball Inuzuka if Naruto were to really try to get her by. Then again, why would she even want to associate with the village she was forced to protect within a container for a century and a half.

"True, I wasn't a fan of your father at all seeing as he did stuff me back inside a host but with a much more permanent seal. At least this one is a man" said Hitome, getting somewhat off track.

"Was there something you needed to speak about? You usually don't call me in here when you know I'm with people" said Naruto who saw the slight frown on her face before she smiled.

"We'll talk over tea, let's go." Naruto and Hitome stood, showing her hight was just under his, and so was her looks and body shape. She said years ago when they met _'What's the point of taking the form of a human if I don't at least age with you?'_ He wasn't complaining, it made things a little less awkward when they were together in his mindscape. Naruto trailed behind and let her lead him out of the octagonal lotus stone, over the small red wooden bridge and down the smooth wood walkway to the two story wooden house. He looked around and saw green meadow with the large waterfall emptying into the lake far into the distance.

"Keep up, keep up" said Hitome playfully, sliding the door open and walking inside before he too walked in and closed the door behind him. The house was just as she wanted, a main living room with a table, a large white couch with two plush chairs on either side. The kitchen was just on the other side with the master bedroom and bath taking up the upstairs entirely. It was odd she wanted a bath and it was complicated to imagine it but after some work he got it all working properly within his head like she wanted. He even made different clothes for her to wear but she normally just had to think of something else to wear and it manifested itself on her body in place of her attire.

"Gonna sit or stand around all day?" The blonde shook his head and sat on the edge of the couch before Hitome placed two cups of tea down then sat next to him.

"So, what's this issue?" asked Naruto.

Hitome sighed and leaned her body against his "Straight to business then. You're no fun."

Naruto shook his head and took a sip of his drink "You usually rest when I do and if you're up in here then you have to sleep during the day."

"Ah, I knew you cared! Now, I guess I should get down to business anyway. I don't think it's wise keep your power sealed away from your team before the chunin exams. If something happens they need to know what to expect otherwise it'll just make things harder when they shouldn't be. I was…just concerned how you'd feel sharing."

"I'm not that concerned really, there's no reason to be. I think Kiyo and sensei will be fine with it but Aki I'm not sure about. He's a good guy but he's lead by his emotions too much so he may dislike me, if only for a short while." Naruto took a casual sip of his drink as Hitome kept quite at his side. The blond stood then turned before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't fret, there's nothing to frown over. People react as they are taught or learn, but overtime those feelings can change for the better. I'm sure everything will work out in the end. Go get some rest and we'll talk later tomorrow once you're up."

Hitome smiled and laid down on the couch "Ok ok, thank you. Be safe and if you need me just call."

"I will, sleep well" and with that his body disappeared from his mindscape.

Hitome sighed as she closed her eyes "Humans are such odd creatures but he's most certainly an oddity above the rest, not that I mind."

Real world

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and let out a quiet yawn before turning to see the electronic clock nearby which read 7:21.

"May as well get to buying some clothes" said Naruto, standing up and walking into the hallway. As soon as he shut the door the one down the hall opened and Kiyo walked out, in only a towel. Both stood stock still for a moment before their faces lite up, Naruto turned around and Kiyo quickly ran to her room just a few steps across the hall. Once he heard the door shut the blonde made a fast walk through the hall and down the steps to the kitchen area. He began to quietly cook eggs, toast and sausage before placing two plates full of food down. As the Uzumaki finished cleaning the cooking wear he moved to sit down just as Kiyo walked in.

"H-hey, thank for making breakfast. You didn't have to" said the white haired woman, pouring a glass of milk before sitting down across from him.

"You made dinner and you're letting me live here. I don't see anything wrong with cooking once in a while for you. Where's your brother at?"

"His friend picked him up early this morning, he said he's gonna go out of the village for a bit with him. I guess to help him plot some land and my brothers good at guiding through the forest."

"Ah, well I hope that goes well. I need to grab some new clothes today so I'll be out for a while."

"I said I'd go with you so I can help you get what you need."

Naruto waved her off as he stood and went to the kitchen "No worries, I can handle it myself." As Naruto finished cleaning his plate he stopped when he nearly bumped into Kiyo who was facing him in the middle of the kitchen.

"I'm going to help, you can't be doing that much by yourself like you are. You're under my roof and that's final." Naruto sighed, there was obviously no way around this so he kept his mouth shut and nodded his head. The girl smiled then cleaned her own dishes before the put their sandals on and walked outside. He expected to go to the cheaper shops closer to the academy but she immediately went into one of the more expensive shops just across from her home.

"Are you sure this is a good place? It's pretty pricey" said Naruto, not meaning to offend her. He had a lot of money from when he was with Kakuzu so he could spend as he pleased with gear but he wasn't so sure about her financial situation.

"I get most of my gear here. I know it doesn't look like it but my family was quite rich since my mother was a seamstress who sold to shops here and my father was a blacksmith. They made quality gear and fast enough to make good profit off of what they did so we still are well off. That and I do have my own savings of doing constant D-rank missions here for a few years now."

Naruto waved his hands "Sorry sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I was just curious really."

Kiyo smiled back "I know, I just figured no harm in filling you in. You are living with me after all and you're a teammate."

"I guess I could do the same pretty soon but not here, kinda a long story."

"No worries" said Kiyo before they walked into the shop.

"Welcome Kiyo! Been a few weeks, how's the gear working out?"

"Good Saito, I haven't really used any of it yet. Well, lost it anyway. You said that bow was coming in soon right?"

"Yeah, hanging up with the others on the rack in the back. Take your friend too, maybe he'll find something he fancies too." Kiyo ushered Naruto to follow her through the somewhat large shop to the back wall. In the very back was a small wall dedicated to anything to do with bows, from arrows to string and wire. It was a whole stand and he could understand why she wanted to go here. It was a nice set up for a weapon many ninja didn't use.

"I've been saving up for a while and I finally have enough to get this decent bow he finally got back in stock" said his friend, picking up a rather simple recurve bow.

"Do you like that one?" asked Naruto.

"Of course, I wouldn't get it if I didn't."

"I mean a recurve bow, do you like it more than a long bow?" She may not have noticed but Naruto saw her stiffen slightly, he knew why. She liked the long bow but it was certainly pricy seeing as it was hand made with chakra enhanced materials. It kept the string and wood from working the same in any condition and he could even see the seal marking for an arrow storage on the front near the middle of one.

"We'll, I-" she stopped when Naruto took the bow and put it back up then grabbed a long bow down the other side of the rack. That one was certainly a set up. It wasn't a usual hand made one, create by one piece of wood. It was laminated with different woods to add outer texture and strength inside, the string was reversed knotted to allow more tension and more power through the bow. Then he grabbed a box of the best quality arrows before handing it too her.

"I…I can afford a lot but I can't spend all my money at one time."

"I'm buying it, I've got plenty. You're giving me a roof over my head, it's the least I can do. Now, let's go to the front." Kiyo kept her mouth shut, still in a somewhat state of shock. No one had ever bought her anything and this certainly wasn't cheap.

"I need everything she has and my usual set of clothes I have" said Naruto. He always had plans and since he shopped here too he made sure there was always a scroll with his regular every day clothes and some casual clothes.

Saito handing him a scroll then spoke "That's 6,500 ryo." **($650 us dolllars)** Naruto handed over the bills from a storage seal on his body before taking his scroll and walking out with Kiyo following behind him. She kept quite all the way back to the house and even until he changed his clothes into a causal white long sleeved shirt and black pants before meeting her in the dining room for lunch.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Naruto, curious as to why she had been silent for so long.

"No one, not even my brother, has gotten me something like this before. I was too young before my parents could get me anything like this and my brother hasn't had the money to ever get me something this extravagant. I'm…just in shock, I guess."

Naruto laughed a little as he prepared sandwiches for them "I know how you feel, my birthdays were the same, even in the Akatsuki. No one's ever done anything for me, nothing like that. At most, we'd go eat somewhere nicer than usual. I just wanted to give you something I knew you wanted, on the day it would truly matter most to you. Make it a good day for once." Kiyo heard the slight frown in his voice, the flat note he ended in and she knew it was less towards her and more towards remembering his.

"Let's practice in a few days with Ren sensei and Aki in the forest near the village. I can get used to this new bow and you can stretch your legs again."

"That sounds fine, I guess I need to just rest up and try to get ready for it. No use doing much else till then" said Naruto, setting two plates down before they started to eat.

Two days later

Aki perked up a bit when he saw Naruto sitting down, his back against a tree as he looked through a small scroll.

"Hey man, long time no see. Feeling better for practice today?" asked Aki. Naruto smiled at him and rolled up his scroll before holding a hand out, signaling him to stop moving. Aki was about to ask what the issue was before an arrow slammed into a target between him and Naruto.

"Kiyo got a new bow and she's practicing, or finishing really. She should be on the way back now and sensei should be here in a few. Oh, I almost forgot! I'm doing well, feeling much better than I was earlier this week" said the blond just as Kiyo landed nearby and walked up to the group before taking her arrow.

"Steel shaft and tip, huh? That's must have quite a lot of weight to it" said Aki, looking at her arrow as she twirled it around.

"I keep this one out and on me at all times, that way I don't need to swtich to a kuani for the most part. It's actually not very heavy, the power behind this long bow makes up for it but this isn't for long distance shots either. It's a more close quarters combat arrow, like here." As soon as she said that Naruto pulled out a kunai from his pouch and deflected four kunai that were aimed at him. Kiyo quickly put her back facing his, knocking away half a dozen needles while Aki pulled his sword out to block eight shuriken's. As soon as the rain of weapons stopped they sensed Ren appear between them all.

"Good reactions, quick timing and a solid formation. Head off to the waterfall half a kilometer from here. I'll meet you there shortly."

"Hai" said the three before taking off.

"That was quite a group" said an anbu, appearing behind Ren as two others appeared around them.

"They really are a well balanced team. I know the'll make a name for themselves soon enough" said Ren.

"That blond one already has, in the underground world at least. He's got just as many connections as Kakuzu does, mostly all the same but a few of his own. He's definitely anbu material, the way the worked show the rest will be with experience" said a rat masked female.

"Watch them while I train but keep your chara down. Naruto will snuff you out, he always seems to" said Ren before he took off.

With Naruto and co.

Naruto yawed just as Ren appeared in front of the group "Sorry for the sudden test. I wanted to make sure none of your senses dulled from your break. Today is a training day, go over old stuff and maybe learn a few new things. Let's begin with a combat exercise on the lake." Once he spoke Ren charged the group, forcing them to jump onto the water as his fists light up with lightning.

 **There's chapter 3, kinda messy and not much excitement but the next chapter will certainly start kicking off pretty hard so be ready! Leave a review and let me know how it was! Take care everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

" _Be you, the world will adjust" ~ Unknown_

Chapter 4

Naruto, Aki and Kiyo walked through the streets of Konoha, browsing the bustling market district. Their outfits had changed very little in the month from their training to now. Aki now sported a plain black button up jacket, tan pants tapped off to high top, open toed combat boots. He kept his headband on his head but switched his long sword to a katana their sense Ren had given him. It was something Ren said he was given as a gift for helping some swordsmen some years ago, and he never had a use for it. He entrusted Aki to it, knowing he'd make good use of the gift Ren believed should see daylight once more.

Kiyo now sported a sleeveless navy blue crop top, which exposed a good deal of midriff, a mesh lining underneath the top showed off and covered her more modestly but still left plenty of skin exposed. Passed that she had on a navy blue skirt and under that were thick black stockings which went all the way down to her open toed ninja sandals. She opted to have her headband tied around her neck while her quiver poked out from behind her right shoulder and her bow rested between it for ease of access. She only had one single arrow tied loosely to her hip, the metal one she used for a multitude of situations and as an alternative to a kunai.

Naruto's attire had changed just like that of the rest of his team after their training. He now wore a traditional tai chi top, only without the sleeves. He changed the color as well to a jet black, showing off the gold etching and Uzu swirl on his back, one which his other teammates had on as well. His pants matched the top, jet black with gold etching that ended where his flat soled black slip on shoes began. He kept his headband just as Kiyo did and he was also carrying a new weapon he was given from Hidan of all people. Surprisingly, the silver haired man took much of a liking to Naruto than almost everyone else in the Akatsuki. He treated him like an uncle would and everyone slowly realized he was extremely protective of the blonde which in turn rubbed off on Kakuzu. The two had worked together to get him this gift, a special weapon made deep in Iron country where it was rumored the seven swordsmen had gotten their weapons. He carried a massive halberd, a foot taller than he was. It was made of obsidian, with blood red rubies placed throughout the long handle and face of the blade. It was strengthened and made nearly weightless to only Naruto with seals which were etched throughout the weapon along with other such things making it a truly unique and powerful weapon. It was also extremely intimidating for others seeing the blonde walk around with such a massive item. **(Look up Rory Mercury from GATE to see what this design roughly looks like and comparative to Naruto's height.)**

"So, where is sensei again?" asked Aki, looking over some of the food.

"Out talking with some old friends, last I checked. He's not far, so don't worry" said Naruto before he noticed something down an ally way just across the street. He saw kids cowering behind a pink haired girl while some guy in a weird full body suit was holding a kid in the air and a blond girl stood behind the older boy.

"Back me up if I need it but don't get in unless it gets bad" said Naruto before he took off without warning.

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Kankuro was fully prepared to beat this kid up just to show him a lesson, or really let out some pent up anger he had. This was just a good outlet and a decent enough excuse to use to let off some steam. That was until his senses told him to retract his arm, which he did quickly while letting go of the brat. As soon as he did, a massive blade swung where his arm used to be and embedded itself into the ground between the kid and himself. Just as he was going to speak some guy landed on the weapon, his feet placed on the long handle and spike on the back end of the blade.

"Now, I'm no perfect guy but beating up a kid just aint right man. That's like if I went pummeled a cat for meowing at me funny. Kinda fucked up" said Naruto, looking down at the boy he was sure was wearing face paint….no, they didn't call it that.

"Hey, keep out of my bui-"

"Are you wearing war paint?" asked Naruto, stopping Kankuro dead in his tracks. He seemed very surprised when he said that, then the boy perked up and almost smiled.

"Yeah, yeah! Finally, someone doesn't call it make up!" shouted the boy in excitement.

"Who're you?" Naruto asked the blonde girl behind him.

"His sister, we're here with my brother for the exams. I assume since you're from Ame then you're here for that too" said the girl.

"Well, yeah. I'm not here just to beat up you two for fun. I assume the quiet one next to me on the tree is your brother too?" Everyone suddenly turned to see a boy sitting on the tree casually, now looking to Naruto who was no longer looking at the tree but in front of Kankuro.

"That's Sasuke!" shouted Sakura in excitement before one of the two kids behind her tugged her shirt and pointed to the new arrival in front of Kankuro. It was a read head, a very dull but intimidating red head.

"So, you're the leader of this little pack here. Nice to see they send people like you to such large events. Must be proud of the shoddy seal work they used on you, huh? No sleep, most likely whispers in your head, all sorts of messy things with a trashy seal. Ah well, nice to meet you. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, you are?"

"Gaara. Mother tells me there's more to you than the weapon you carry." At the mention of mother both Kankuro and Temari tense, the blond already moving her hand to the large metal object on her back. Naruto smiled, not a nice smile, one filled with excitement and a hunger the oldest siblings only saw in their youngest brother. His deep blue eyes shifted to blood red and his pupils thinned and stretched to look like that of a cat, or a fox, with such a predatory smile.

"I'd love to play sometime, **brother."** No one was sure what it was, but that single word sent shivers down everyone's spine, even Gaara. There was a undertone no one could quite get but that last word seemed to carry some invisible weight which started to shift the tone to a much more…..bloodthirsty one. Gaara, if only for a split second, saw something behind the blonde. He was almost sure he imagined it, but it looked like a red head woman with similar eyes and a wild look that was starring him down, begging him to attack. Just as he was beginning to make up his mind Naruto turned his head to see the infamous Kakashi Hatake standing on the opposite fence.

"Why don't you all just scatter along and I won't report anyone for trying to start a fight outside of the chunin exams?" It was a casual question but even the boy behind Naruto could tell it was an empty threat. He didn't care to report them but if things continued, the taller man was certainly going to put a stop to things and no one around doubted the legendary anbu's skills.

"Forgive us, we will be leaving" said Gaara, turning with his siblings only to face Naruto's two other teammates. They said nothing to each other as the Suna trio left and Naruto hefted his weapon back onto his shoulder.

"Long time no see scarecrow" said Naruto, poking fun at him. Little was known to anyone, even the Akatsuki, but Naruto had spoken with Kakashi often. He was one of the few the blonde kept in touch with throughout the years. After all, he was the one who brought him food and repaired his apartment before taking off with Itachi some years ago.

"Keeping up such a facade like that won't help you, Naruto. Leveling down forcefully only creates more problems and you know it" said Kakashi, bluntly.

Naruto's smile dropped, if only for a second, "Yeah yeah, whatever you say old man. I'll see you around some other time when we aren't in such a weird place." With that Naruto walked off, his two teammates following closely behind as they entered a small ramen stand.

"Two Miso for me and the girl and a beef for the brown haired one" said Naruto, tossing some coins on the table to pay for the meal ahead of time.

"Coming right up" said the elder man, turning to a younger woman and telling her the order before going to grab something from the back.

"So, what was that all about?" asked Aki.

"Which part?"

"Challenging that red head in broad daylight and how in the world you know Kakashi."

"Ohhhhh, hahaha! I wanted to see what would happen when I pushed him. He's most likely going to be our biggest threat in this so I wanted to see what pushed his buttons and find a breaking point. With Kakahshi, during my travels with our friends I met up with him from time to time. He's been someone who was with me before I moved to Ame so I keep in touch when I can."

"Here's the food kids" said Teuchi, setting three bowls of ramen down in front of them.

"Itadakimasu" said the three before digging in. They sat in relative silence as they ate, enjoying the food before the younger woman leaned on the counter and spoke as they were finishing up.

"So, you three here for the chunin exams?" asked the woman.

"Yes ma'am" said Kiyo, wiping her mouth and handing her the bowl.

"You certainly seem well prepared for this one compared to the others we've seen. Mentally wise, at least."

"What you you mean by that?" asked Naruto. He was genuinely curious, he assumed everyone going was somewhat prepared for what they were getting into.

"We'll, mentally like your state of thinking. You aren't sitting here, eating and just acting as if it's another day for you. From what you said, your first encounter with a group from another village and your trying to size them up and see what makes them tic. I know a few genin here are like that but quite a lot seem to almost…..oh, what's the word? I don't want to seem like I'm belittling them but….they seem to see this as just a normal game. It's inside the village walls, a safe area, so no ones really seemed in the game set for this."

"I guess no one here realizes the importance of it, like other villages do. You guys seem pretty lax here, in a lot of ways. We're trained knowing we need to reach as high as we can, in a good amount of time without being carless. We train for it, not just a few, but our entire village does even after becoming chunin or above. We strive for the best and not just whatever we can get to the easiest and the quickest. Our village isn't well off as a farming village, we rely on trade heavily and craftsmen who stay close to the edge of the village. Knowing this, we ninja strive to get better to protect the little we do have and hold it away from the other large nations" said Kiyo.

"That may be why then, many of the genin here certainly don't have that mindset. Outside war time, we operate things much more casually which may be the cause of that. I hope this will be an awakening and a time for development" said the older man.

"Thank you for the meal but we must be going. We've got to get back to our hotel before it gets dark" said Naruto, standing with the rest of his team.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck. I'm Ayame and this is Teuchi. Stop by before you leave, we'd love to see some fresh faces every now and again."

"We will, and thank you." The three moved quickly through the crowd and made it deeper into the village where they hotel they were staying at was located. It was somewhat odd, having a hotel so far into the village but then again, they passed a lot at the entrance. This one must be a nicer one, farther in and well-kept for better paying occupants. Kiyo moved through the busy streets, taking the lead and ending up at their hotel room nearly fifteen minutes later.

"This damn place is so big. It takes too long to walk through in heavy traffic like this" said Naruto, setting his massive weapon down near his bed. There were four beds, a room made specifically for ninja as the hotel called it. Three man team and the assumed their sensei was taking the extra bed if he decided to join them again at some point. Then a knock came to the door.

"I'll get it" said Aki, standing and going to the door. He looked through the peep hole before opening it and letting their sensei in.

"Have fun enticing some Suna ninja?" asked Ren to Naruto who was dressing in more comfortable clothes. He had no shame in sleeping shirtless and changing his shorts in front of Kiyo. They were a team and he lived with her so it wasn't something she wasn't used to.

"Yeah, found out they brought some real firepower to this one" said the blonde, confusing his team a little but Ren got the idea quick enough.

"Keep your mind sharp then, can't let them get past us and show up Ame now" joked out the black haired man as he shed his jonin jacket and took off his shoes. Kiyo took off her top and bottom before putting on a plain white t-shirt and loose black pajama pants. Aki just took his jacket off, keeping the blue shirt underneath on and shed his pants for a pair of comfortable shorts. As everyone was getting settled in Naruto opened the window and a familiar face jumped through, landing in the middle of the room.

"Long time no see, Ren. You're looking as gorgeous as ever" said Mi, smiling. Her fiery red hair and stunning purple eyes off set her from many of the worlds occupants in this day and age. As Naruto said, she is much more Uzumaki than anything else which showed through her skills, not just her looks.

"What did you need Mi?" asked Ren, not up for any funny business or flirting with this woman for the moment. He had done plenty of it before, when they dinned alone. He was tired after talking with the jonin of these other villages so he was ready to get this over with and get some well needed sleep.

"Just letting you know I'll be around for the chunin exams. There's a mutual party between us that needs some eyes and ears in the village. Fun fact, did you know there's a snake outbreak in Suna this time of year? Really changed how things were run over there, but snakes are pretty sly so it's to be expected. See ya later, stay gorgeous sensei" said Mi before taking off back through the window. Naruto moved to shut it, not speaking but sparing a quick glance at his sensei.

"Get some rest everyone. You'll need all that energy for the exams" said Ren, laying down on the bed nearest to the door. Aki took his spot right next to him, Kiyo took the one following and Naruto laid down on the bed closest to the widow.

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Kiyo took the lead once more when they arrived at the academy, passing by the group of confused students at the wrong door and continuing on to the third floor. As they neared the door Naruto heard Hitome speak to him through their mental link.

"" _ **Be safe sweetie, you know what Mi meant by that. That sanin is a snake to the core, you can't play any games past this point. No more cover up attitude, keep your eyes open."**_

" _ **I will, thank you Hitome."**_

" _ **Anything for you, love."**_

"Keep close to one another, we don't know what to expect" said Kiyo. Aki and Naruto tightened formation, keeping closer to Kiyo as she opened the door and they all walked in. A lot of the occupants turned to the newcomers, attempting to intimidate and size up the competition. Naruto was the one facing the side of the ninja and his glare quickly flattened most of the occupants. Any that stayed simply lost interest and paid attention to something else more interesting. Kiyo led the group to the opposite corner of the room, near the only open window. Naruto rested his weapon on the wall and leaned near it as Kiyo sat down on the chair across from him and Aki sat on the table near Kiyo.

"So, what do you we do about all these extra occupants?" asked Aki. He certainly wasn't the thinker of the group but even he knew this was a much larger group than they had seen at the end of the finals.

"I'm sure the second part will be a challenge that will break a lot of teams. Let's wait till then, so for now just observe" said Naruto. He was already doing just that, looking through each team for any kind of glaring weakness. He did find something off, the glasses wearing leaf ninja. His chakra was much to high for any genin and he didn't sense any bijuu so there was nothing bolstering his chakra network. That silver haired man carried himself less like a genin would, walking through a crowd, and more like he would. He analyzed every bit of the people he passes, logging information and keeping it for a later date if it was needed. He wasn't an average genin and Naruto was certain he was not a genin for real. That meant he was extremely skilled to get in here, passes all the security measures and make no one think otherwise. The blonde quietly signaled his team, motioning to the man and letting them know of his suspicions before he noticed someone move towards the silver haired man.

He had noticed the group before, Oto shinobi. That was a small, new village that had appeared recently. They barely had enough to be considered a village but from what he was told by Konan, Orochimaru was the one in charge under the table. The man that swung was all bandaged up, with some weird looking metal gauntlets. The fist connected and the silver haired man obviously wasn't faking the blow but when he tried to get up he stumbled and moved his hand over his mouth to keep from getting sick. Just as the Oto shinobi was going to speak the proctor who was running this stage of the exam appeared in a cloud of smoke at the front of the room.

"Enough! Get up, get over it and get to your damn seats!" shouted the fully black clothes man. Naruto knew him quickly with a sparring glance, Ibiki, a well known jonin used here for extracting information from whoever he was given.

"Don't sit on the same table as a teammate or you and your team will be kicked out" said one of the monitors, earning a collective groan from the room before they all began to shift spots. As everyone was finally settling in to their new seats the monitors around the room passes out tests for everyone but left them face down.

"The point of this test is to complete it with any means necessary to get the answer, except cheating. If you are caught I will deduct points from your team. Once you are under the passing grade your entire team will be kicked out. Begin!" shouted Ibiki. Naruto wasn't going to blow his own horn but these were pretty easy for him, having experienced some of this before with simple missions during his training. Kiyo could easily see the answers from someone besides her who was using some kind ninja wire to imitate a teammate. Aki was struggling to get bits and pieces from what Naruto was signing him when he could. He had most of the questions answered but they weren't full answers. He just hoped he did well enough not to fail.

"Alright, everyone drop your pencils. It seems we only lost a few teams in the hour but the final question will test the rest of you lot. There are some rule changes to this piece. Anyone who incorrectly answers this have themselves and their team disqualified from further exams. You will be forced to go through a much more challenging mission set given by your village to become a chunin. With these new rules I will allow anyone who wishes to quit to take their team and leave. You will fail and not be allowed to continue but you will be able to participate in other exams. Raise your hand if you would like to opt out." The black jonin watched as team after team left, leaving a little over half the room before Naruto laughed, causing the rooms attention to move to him.

"Is there something funny, blondie?"

"The fact everyone is so spineless, not willing to take the risk. I could care less if you locked us out of other exams but I sure as hell aint gonna give you the satisfaction of forfeiting willingly." Naruto crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, starting a stare off between himself and the taller man. Both held strong, neither blinking before Ibiki noticed no one else was raising their hands.

"Fine, I guess you all decided to dig in for the final question after listening to a single kids words of courage. The final question is…nothing. You all pass the test."

"So it was just some ploy this entire time to get others to quit!" shouted a pink haired girl.

"No, none of this was just some ploy. The test was to see how well you did as ninja, gathering info from others without being noticed. Keeping a low profile and still getting through the objective. This was to test your will, to see if you could cave to the pressure or forfeiting and letting go of the unknown. There is a safe way to play things but sometimes you have to take a calculated risk once in a while to get the job done. I know it seem of-" Ibiki was cut off when a banner suddenly crashed through the glass window and blocked him from view as another figure appeared in front of it. It read 'Get Read for the second test proctor Anko Mitarashi.'

"I'll be your proctor for the second exams annnnndddd…there's a lot of you short stacks. Ibiki, you left a lot!" said the woman. She was certainly dressed interestingly. She had on a fishnet top, brown cloak, burnt orange short shorts, leg guards and ninja sandals. It wasn't something you saw every day, that much was for sure.

"It's a good crop this year" responded the man from behind the banner, not bothering to move in front of it.

"We'll, let's get going then! I'm sure I'm gonna cut at least half of you out of this little race. Follow me to the test two area" said the brown haired woman before taking off through the same window. The genin followed closely behind, trailing the jonin proctor for a few minutes before arriving at a large forest surrounded by a gate.

"Ok kiddies, this is a simple game with simple rules. There are two scrolls going in circulation, a heaven and an earth. Each team will have either of these and the goal is to get the other and get to the other side. Anything of use is allowed, you must finished with all your teammates and the time limit is five days. Once the five days are over, everyone inside the forest fails and yes, we will help you out if you are still in there. Go get to grabbing your scroll and stand at your gate" said Anko. The genin slowly moved in line, getting their scroll and lining up.

"Oh, and one more rule. No fighting until you're a quarter mile inside. If you do, the anbu surrounding the forest will evict your team immediately. Now, get to running piggy's!" Just as she shouted the gates opened and the lot of young ninja took off into the forest.

"You didn't tell them about any of the animals or the possibility of death" said a chunin helper.

"It's on the waiver, why waste my beautiful voice?"

With Naruto and co.

"So, what's the plan of action for this one?" asked Aki, leaning against a tree near Kiyo as the two faced their teammate.

"Probably just get an heaven scroll and head out as soon as we can. Kiyo, what can you sense near us?" It was only known to their sense and the Akatsuki how well their team fit one another. Kiyo was a perfect long range ninja, with a bow and long range water jutsu while she also had an exceptional sensory ability. Aki was well versed with his sword being smaller, he could move much faster and he was currently the fastest on the team which parred well with his lightning affinity. Naruto was their heavy hitter, using his halberd, his seals for strength and speed which coupled with his wind affinity for a sharper blade. Then there was his hand to hand abilities, working with people like Itachi and Orochimaru, he was well adept in taijutsu.

"There's a team just a short run north from here, low chakra levels. It feels like….the other genin from Ame."

"Looks like we got ourselves a target then. Let's go with a pincer for myself and Aki while Kiyo keeps watch from above."

"Are you sure we should be going after our own village ninja?" asked Aki.

"Those guys barely qualify as ninja, using Hanzo's methods and breathers to worship the old man like some god. We don't have to kill them, just take the scroll if they have what we need. Easy, so let's get to it" said Naruto, taking off. Aki sighed and moved right after him, Kiyo jumped higher into the trees before moving after the boys. She quickly found a good spot twenty feet from the ground, overlooking the three genin. They seemed to be planning, drawing tactics in the dirt. That was before Naruto appeared out of the tree line from beside them, shortly followed by Aki on the opposing side.

"I knew you would come after us" said one of the three triplites. They were brothers, full look alikes.

"Did you really? Or are you just talking big to seem more intimidating? Cause I can assure you, this mass of metal I'm holding is much more intimidating than your lies" said Naruto.

"What kind of scroll do you have?"

"None of your damn business" said one of the genin, reaching for his kunai in the holster only to get it ripped off when an arrow flew through the loop, taking the case with it.

"I'll ask again, what kind of scroll do you have?"

"Earth" said another brother, not wanting to deal with this team. He knew their power, he wasn't dumb or stubborn enough to put up with it.

"Thanks for the info, see ya later then" said Naruto and took off back into the trees with Aki right behind him.

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"Third team in a row with a damn earth scroll!" shouted Naruto, kicking a tree as they stood around, deep in the forest on day two.

"Let's take a break before we continue on, you need more rest than we all do" said Kiyo, appearing next to him shortly followed by Aki.

"Yeah man, you need a little break."

The blonde sighed then sat down where they were "Fine, let's rest and regain our chakra then take off after that leaf team holed up nearby."

"Deal" said Aki, pulling a scroll out and summoning three bento boxes before handing them to his teammates.

 **Boom, new chapter done and ready to go. Next chapter will be much crazier, much much crazier than this one and a lot more exciting to write as well! Take care everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This one's a big one, and crammed full of happenings. Sorry for the length, just had a lot I wanted in here and the ending did take more too it since I wanted to show off how Naruto handles situations like that. Enjoy!**

' _It's not bragging if you can back it up' Muhammad Ali_

Chapter 5

Naruto, Kiyo and Aki were sitting in a small circle covered by bushes and overgrown tree's as they ate their meals in silence. That was before Naruto suddenly stood, pulling his scythe out of the ground and shifting it behind him. Kiyo and Aki quickly followed suit, instantly ready for an attack of some sort.

"What is it? I don't sense anything coming at us" said Kiyo and she knew Naruto's senses were still behind hers in range.

"Follow me at full speed, formation akatsuki." Kiyo and Aki seemed to stiffen but quickly took off with Naruto in the lead. As they neared the chakra he sensed Kiyo branched off, taking her usual spot nearby to provide distance support. Naruto burst into the opening and quickly swung his blade, forcing a taller figure to jump back from the two leaf genin.

"Long time no see, Uchiha" said Naruto, glancing back at Sasuke who took a minute to recognize him before he smirked a little and stood.

"Wondered where that blonde hair ran off too. See you had fun in Ame" said Sasuke, pulling out two kunai as Sakura stood and pulled her own kunai out, albeit with a lot of hesitation.

"Well, we all have to stretch our legs sometimes but let's get to work now. Don't get to much in the way if you see my team setting up for an attack, use whatever you two can to keep him moving."

"Long time no see, Naruto-kun" said the man across from them.

"It's been far to long, Orochimaru. I wondered if old age had gotten to you by now but you look as young as ever" responded Naruto.

"Flattery will get you nowhere in this bout. Let's see how you've grown, shall we?" Naruto smiled, only Orochimaru saw it and couldn't help but smile back. This may get his blood pumping more than he expected. Naruto took off and charged him but as he neared Orochimaru ducked, avoiding the katana blade he didn't fully expect from the other boy. Just as he ducked Naruto swung, piercing his side but hit only dead skin as he quickly regurgitated himself.

"Disgusting" said Sakura from afar. The snake like man quickly pulled a kunai out to block the katana blade then swung down, shattering said kunai to halt the massive halberd from impaling him again. He disappeared and reappeared on the other side, brushing a bit of dust off. Not a moment later he shifted his upper body, letting an arrow pass by without hitting it's mark but once it did he took a few steps left to avoid a kunai swipe from Sasuke who was now holding two. The sanin avoided another before throwing his leg up, intent on knocking the boy out with his foot only to hit the staff of Naruto's scythe as he substituted with Sasuke.

"Quite the substitution mastery there" complimented the sanin. He got only a smile before the blonde disappeared and Orochimaru jumped high into the air, letting Aki's katana pierce nothing but thin air. Quickly following up, he twisted his body, letting another arrow pass by only to feel the impact of one straight on his head before he dissolved into mud. Sakura felt her body lurch as Naruto threw her, right in time for a blade to pierce the ground she once stood on. Sakura tried her best to steer her body in air, skidding to a stop on her knees before going through one of the few hand seals she knew. Orochimaru watched as Naruto disappeared, along with everyone else.

"Not bad for a genin, but I can still sense chakra." The man leaned back before sending out a burst of chakra quickly breaking the genjutsu just as he regurgitated himself and a fireball consumed his left over skin. The new body spun and skidded to a stop in the middle of the clearing, surrounded on all sides.

"This, this is certainly something! Wonderful work, all of you certainly are exemplary ninja indeed. I do apologize though as I am on a timetable here." Just before he moved to much he stopped, feeling a sudden dread wash over him. The sanin turned, seeing Naruto hunched over a little more, his left arm and feet planted on the ground as his weapon on his back with his right hand holding it. However, what offset him was the wave of demonic energy flowing off of him and his now blood red eyes. He saw it, only for a second, but the image of a smaller Kyuubi appeared when Naruto bared his elongated fangs. It made his blood rush, this was going to be more thrilling than he first thought. Then, he disappeared and the next thing he knew he was cut in half.

Naruto turned his head quickly, seeing another Orochimaru walk out of the woods from where he once was.

"Splendid speed, much better than before." The sanin held a kunai, tossing it up a few times just before he noticed it disappear and Naruto's blade was inches from his throat. Naruto was hoping to get him to regurgitate but in a show of speed he sprung up, landing on a large branch above with obvious intent to summon but stopped to lean multiple different times to avoid a barrage of kunai and arrows. Then, he noticed ninja wire string around him before fire was funneled through it , burning him to a crisp.

Sasuke let out a heavy sigh, feeling the heavy drain of chakra just as he sensed the man appear again in front of him and the boy with the katana.

"I must say, quite the good show of skill. It seems I've run out of time to do what I came to do so I'll be seeing you all some other time. Till next time, Naruto-kun." Just as he moved to disappear he noticed Naruto disappear entirely. The elder ninja hesitated, scanning the area for his chakra only to meet a fist as it plowed into his face, sending his body through multiple trees and deep into the forest. Sakura had watched the impact, seeing firsthand as he hit and send the man flying. She wasn't so shocked at that part but at the part of seeing the multitude of trees falling and the wind pressure from the blow alone. That blow was extremely devastating but she knew that man lived through it, or assumed he did like he had done during this short battle.

Naruto landed and let out his breath, falling to one knee. He opened his right hand beside him and his halberd appeared in a wisp of red energy.

"Let's go Aki" said Naruto, taking off into the direction Orochimaru's body went.

Aki sighed and sheathed his sword "You guys can stay, we'll take care of the rest. Hopefully we'll see you in the finals. You've got good skill." With that said he took off in a blur, intent in catching up to his teammates rather quickly.

"Let's find Sai and make camp. We still need our scroll" said Sasuke, turning around and walking into the forest with Sakura running behind him.

With Aki

He quickly caught up with his teammates, sensing they stopped moving and stopped just behind Kiyo who was near Naruto in a clearing lit by the sun just breaking the trees. As the sun shone in, it lit up a heaven scroll laying on the ground where the skid marks seem to stop. Near it were a few other scrolls but Naruto only picked up the heaven scroll laying in the creator.

"Is it some kind of reward for doing well?" asked Kiyo.

"Most likely, he always rewarded me when I did better than he expected during training. Let's get out of here, I'm tired." Naruto said no more before leading his team through the short run to the tower stationed just a quarter mile from where they were. They stood in the empty room, just past the doors. Kiyo opened the heaven scroll and Aki opened the earth before tossing them on the ground. The three watched as a jonin they hadn't seen before appeared before them.

"Congratulations on passing this portion of the exam in the time, I hope everyone is well off. We will have a meeting the day after this phase closes to give us time to bring in the remaining members safely and regroup our men and woman as well. Go through the door on the left to the rooms and wait until you are called to the main hall."

"Thank you" was all Kiyo said before she led the team through the doors and towards the nearest room. Once inside she shut the door and locked it before turning to see Naruto already setting his weapon near the bed and laying down. She could sense it, so could Aki, he agitated how things turned out. They didn't even touch the man enough to do lasting damage. They were all angry but they were also tired, it was a short but brutal fight.

"Get some rest everyone, no need to focus on anything else for right now. We can worry about who made it when we see everyone again in a few days" said Naruto, shedding his top and changing out for shorts. Aki switched into his normal t-shirt and shorts while Kiyo took her top off to put on regular blue shirt along with a pair of black white sweatpants.

"Who's up for some breakfast when we all get up?" asked the swordsmen, getting comfortable across from Naruto on a different set of bunk beds.

"Meeee" groaned out Kiyo, taking the top bed and placing her gear next to her on her bed in case some genin team decided to do something stupid here.

"Sleep first, eat last" said Naruto just before the room went silent once more.

Main hall

Naruto stretched a little as he stood in the block formation with the rest of the genin that made the cut. He ignored the boring talk of the proctors and watched as some glasses kid who was clearly fine for combat opt out, along with some pale skinned boy with black hair before he tuned back into the proctor.

"Now, the board ahead of you will randomly pick two constants who will fight against one another until they are unable to continue, someone forfeits or I see a decided victor. If there are no questions please look to the board ahead" said the sickly proctor Hayate. Naruto watched as it cycled through names before stopping with Sasuke and some guy names Yorori.

"Sasuke and Yoroi please stay, the rest must go to the stands at the other side of the room." Slowly the genin made their way to the stand, forming their groups as their jonin arrived.

"Who do you think's gonna win?" asked Kiyo.

"Sasuke" said Naruto.

"Why are you so sure he's gonna win? You don't know anything about the other guy" said Aki.

"Sasuke will win and kick everyone else's asses!" shouted his pink haired teammate.

"Again, why are you so sure? Do you know this guys skill?" asked Aki to her but she choked up on her response.

"Just watch" said Naruto. He knew Sasuke would win by how he preformed against Orochimaru. If he could even stand against the man there was definitely a fire in the boy. Yoroi probably wouldn't even raise a hand to Orochimaru, let alone fight the guy like they did. Naruto watched the match take place and end quickly, a few distractions, substitutions and a copied taijutsu move was all it took.

"Winner Sasuke Uchiha!"

As Sasuke returned Naruto noticed something 'How odd, Orochimaru didn't mark him like we thought he would. Maybe he's hoping to promise him power and lure him on his own free will, then mark him If he can do that, he'd be much more loyal and accepting of the mark and everything else the sannin offered. Guess my intervention did change his plan but it seems he's also here to watch the matches. How interesting indeed.' Naruto let countless ideas flow through his head as the matches went by, ignoring the sand siblings oldest killing his competition and the odd draw between the two leaf village girls. He did pay attention to how the young Nara fought, it was interesting to watch. He had the match planned in so many ways as soon as he saw her move. His mind was sharp, and that was a big plus for Naruto. He assumed that one would defiantly cause him trouble in the future, he thought on a similar plain as he did. Just as he saw Gaara's and some boy names Kiba appear he heard who he assumed to be Kiba speak immediately.

"I forfeit."

"A-are you sure?" asked Hayate and Kiba nodded his head.

"Very well, the winner will be Gaara." Naruto could see it from there, the fear written on his face and his team's face. They saw the true monster under that sand, or at least a little glimmer of the brutality. It was no surprise he forfeited, he knew he couldn't win and there was no point in fighting to the death for no good reason. What came next on the board certainly wasn't what he expected though.

"Kiyo Hayashi and Aki Tanaka please come to the floor." The two said nothing and didn't spare a look at one another as they walked down and faced one another.

"Who's gonna win this one?" asked Sasuke, standing next to Naruto. He didn't have any reason not to speak with him, they helped one another out at different times. Naruto knew the streets well and he would help Sauske escape fan girls while Sasuke would usual treat him to food or a place to stay when his apartment was trashed. They had a neutral friendship but a friendship nonetheless. They respected one another's strengths and saw each other as rivals back then.

"Aki" was all Naruto said and Sasuke didn't pry for more. He let the two below do the talking as soon as the proctor dropped his hand. The instant it did Aki drew his sword and deflected an arrow sent by Kiyo. No sooner did he jump back before the arrow exploded, covering a small portion of the arena in smoke. For the next few seconds all they heard was metal hitting one another and footsteps before the smoke thinned before eventually disappearing. What showed was a layout of scattered arrows with Aki now facing Kiyo, his blade poised at her throat. However, she was crouched with her bow aiming at his chest. A stalemate, or what a lot of genin would think. Kiyo sighed and let her bow down, sheathing it and summoning the arrows back into the seal on the bow.

"Proctor I forfeit."

"Winner, Aki Tanaka."

"That smoke was so no one would see their skills, wasn't it?" asked Sasuke to which Naruto only responded with a smirk.

"Keeping the skills your genin shown to a minimum, I see" said Kakashi as he looked to Ren.

"Of course, we're a small nation so our best need to stay as well preserved as possible. Especially when they have to fight in the final stage, where all your cards will come into play." Aki smiled and high fived Kiyo before they walked back up and returned to stand near Naruto again.

"Should have gone for the head instead, make us both lose" said Kiyo.

"Should have just used clones, make it a little harder since you can't fight close that well" responded Aki.

"Watch this next match, a clan war is going to take place right in front of our eyes" said Naruto, directing their attention to the two Hyuuga's facing off. Oh what a war they saw. Neji harbored obvious hate towards the main branch and showed it, his brutal methods were not concealed but Hinata fought him well towards the end. She showed her will, her promise and strength she kept hidden. She was a pacifist and didn't wish to fight but when backed into a corner, she would bear her fangs and there was much more bite in her than anyone thought from the shy girl. She countered well and struck back even better but she already lost, being hit too many times at the beginning took its toll and she still didn't have the experience in battle like Neji. Naruto was ready to move to the next match until he saw Hinata stand again, taking a weak stance.

"Don't you do it, Neji" said Naruto softly. He could see the boy's intentions a mile away but hoped things wouldn't get out of hand. The match was called, he won, her standing up again did nothing but show she had resolve.

"If you wish to stand then I will finish what you have started, Hinata-sama." He took one step them stopped, facing him now was his own sensei and he didn't look pleased.

"Does it really require you to come down here?" asked Neji to Guy.

"The match has been decided and there is no more need to continue this family matter here. Go back with Tenten" said Guy. Neji said nothing as he turned but stopped when he heard Hinata cough up blood. Just as she kneeled Kurenai appeared, slowly letting her down as the medical team ran on site, picking her up and taking her off the arena as Guy and Neji returned to the stand.

"What a mess" said Naruto tiredly, feeling bad for the poor girl. She did a good job and he was sure he'd become a splendid ninja one day, her skill in taijutsu was already fairly good for someone her age. The next round was boring, watching the poor Akamichi fight the sound user was somewhat saddening knowing he never stood a change. At least he got his turn next and with someone he actually was eager to fight with.

"Rock Lee and Naruto Uzumaki please come down" said the proctor. Naruto walked down, taking his time as Lee jumped over the rail and walked to the opposing side.

Once they were face to face the proctor looked at the two before dropping his arm "Begin!" Naruto reacted as soon as he said that, swinging his halberd down to let a fist meet the flat part of the blade.

"Quick on the draw, I see" said Naruto.

"Your reaction is just as fast" said Lee. Naruto smiled before sending chakra to his arms, pushing Lee back before following up with a high kick to the head. Lee brought both hands up to block the kick but Naruto planned for that. He swung his weapon into the ground as he kicked, allowing him to grab it with both hands and propel himself forwards, using his other leg to make contact with Lee's chest. The blow was faster than Lee was prepared for, hitting him and sending him skidding across the floor, right back to their starting distance. Naruto landed on his feet and pulled his weapon out of the ground before slinging it back on his shoulder as Lee stood up fully again.

"Your skills in taijutsu with such a heavy weapon are marvelous" said Lee.

"Thank you, I've worked hard to get where I am now and I'm sure you've done the same. Now, let's get a good warm up in before we get too crazy" said Naruto and Lee nodded his head. Lee moved first again, jumping in the air before spinning around.

" **Konoha Sepu(Leaf Whirlwind)!"** shouted Lee as he extended his leg out while he spun, aiming for Naruto's head. The blonde countered easily by swinging his weapon's flat side against Lee's leg, halting his spin and forcing him to spin the other way. While he was still suspended in air Naruto brought the weapon back around to slam it into Lee and send him flying against the wall under the stand. Naruto left no time for his enemy, moving right after him and thrusting the spike at the tip of the halberd where Lee impacted the wall. Lee regained his bearings quickly after hitting the wall and dashed to the right the second he did as to avoid the weapon being thrusted at him. Naruto pulled the weapon around, swinging where Lee dashed too. The taijutsu specialist took a few steps back, letting the weapon just barely pass him. However, Lee quickly leaned back to avoid the weapon which sailed overhead.

' _He's kept his speed of his swinging down!'_ thought Lee just before he backflipped, causing Naruto's downward slash to miss. Naruto leaned left, missing a punch but send his blade out again, thrusting it out with his right hand. Lee jumped back a few more feet but when he landed he tripped a little, hitting a crack in the area. Just as he hit the ground he the massive blade descending on him. The room held with baited breath when it hit the ground but when no blood appeared they looked up, seeing Lee land atop the two hands in front of Naruto.

"Lee's barely been able to fight back. That's impressive, even Neji can't keep Lee from fighting close range like that" said Tenten who had returned recently after being cleared with minor bruises and muscle tears. Neji kept quite next to her but he was in agreement, that blonde was certainly skilled with his weapon to use it to such a degree. His skill shown already was past genin, just like that Nara.

"Take them off Lee!"

"W-what? Are you sure, sensei? You said-"

"I know, and I give you permission. Show everyone the fruits of hard work!"

Lee saluted Guy "Thank you so much Guy sensei!" Naruto watched as Lee sat down and pulled off his leg warmers, removing ankle weights and standing.

"Pretty old school" said Ren.

"It's worked for years, no reason why it wouldn't now" said Guy.

"I feel much better!" said Lee, dropping his weights off the towering statue.

"A few weights won't do much" said Aki only to eat his words when they hit the ground, causing two massive impacts.

"Now go get em Lee!" shouted his sensei but Lee stayed still, looking down at Naruto who had yet to move, his weapon back on his shoulder.

"Do you have anything you wish to do before this? You seem like you've got something up your sleeve if you asked to warm up." Naruto smirked then hefted his weapon before swinging it in a wide arc, slamming the blade far into the floor at a slanted angle.

"You're a kind opponent Lee, and a splendid person in general" said Naruto before he formed a ram sign with both hands, causing a blue aura to appear around him. It seemed to outline his figure before a shockwave erupted from him and everyone in the stadium suddenly felt a little heavier for a split second.

"Is he wearing-" started Kakashi but Ren quickly answered with a nod of his head.

"What? Wearing what?" asked Sakura.

"Gravity seals, a new form of weights that use seals written on the body to increase the effect of gravity. I have yet to see anyone use them, or how it changes one's abilities in battle" said Guy.

"It's nothing new, it's been around for years but only recently has it made a comeback thanks to that boy" said Ren. Lee suddenly disappeared and a moment later Naruto shifted to the left, another second later he knelt down then stood quickly, his head connecting with Lee's jaw just as he stood. As the shock jeered Lee Naruto took advantage and brought an open palm forward, slamming it into Lee's gut and forcing him to skid across the floor.

"Your speed may be greater but all my reaction times have increased, not just my speed" said Naruto, leaning on one leg casually as Lee slowly stood.

"You are right but I will not give up just because of one landed hit" said Lee and Naruto smiled.

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that." The next thing Lee saw was a scroll thrown in the air before a rain of kunai, shuriken and other tools littered the arena floor. Aki's eyes widened when he saw that and his grip on the rail tightened as he leaned forward a little more.

"What's going on?" asked Sasuke, leaning over to Aki a little.

"It's the way he fights me, or anyone faster than his usual speed. Something he's worked on since he first became a ninja from what he's told us."

"What's all this?" asked Lee, looking around in bewilderment.

Naruto spread his arms wide "This is my field now, something I created to fight people like you. I call it **Kami no Hata(God field).** I wish you the best of luck Lee, this is bastard creation of something long dead but it serves its purpose well enough."

Lee narrowed his eyes "Very well." Not a split second later his fist was shot out at Naruto's face, intent on wiping the smile from it before he hit nothing but air and noticed a kunai landing on the ground. Lee spun around and saw Naruto standing near where he just was, where a kunai had landed just in front of him.

"A substitution? That fast and without any smoke? How's that even possible?" said Sakura. She'd never heard of something like that before and seeing it was even harder to believe it.

' _It's….like a bastard version of his fathers original jutsu. Too think he made something like that on his own, he's certainly a cut above the rest'_ thought Kakashi.

' _Splendid, just splendid. You are a marvelous ninja, Naruto-kun. It's a pity Itachi has such a hold on you or you'd be the jewel of my eye'_ thought Orochimaru in disguise.

"The theory is that smoke is created by the excess chakra pumped into a substitution, something no one bothers to perfect or even work on since it's never used often in battle as it is. However, he's taken a step further, mastering the level needed, shrinking it and speeding it all in one step. He's mastered substitution, something that's looked as a minor jutsu to an extent where he can even evade some of my own attacks" said Ren.

"Gotta be faster than that" said Naruto with a smile. After that it was a game of cat and mouse, Lee was following Naruto as best he could, but as time went on it was obvious, Lee was getting close and closer as the seconds ticked away. Lee could feel himself getting closer, he was nearly there when he noticed a cloud of smoke appear near him when Naruto disappeard and Lee shot off towards it faster than he had previously. The speed increase made him get near Naruto faster than expected and finally he made contact, hitting his jaw and wiping the smile of his face. Until he disappeared in a cloud of smoke once more and a foot impacted his head, sending him flying across the arena. The spandex wearing ninja spun around and tried to skid to a stop only to have another foot hit his chest straight on, lifting him off the ground and into the arena wall across from the statue he stood on a mere few minutes ago. All Lee could do was cross his arms in front of his face when he noticed Naruto flying through hand seals.

" **Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"** The black haired genin felt the massive pressure of the wind crushing him against the wall but he endured it, like he always had. However, as quickly as it begun, it stopped, and Lee slowly pushed himself out of the wall. Tenten was enthralled in the match and even Neji was surprised at what was going on. This ninja from a village thought to be just a small, weak village, was tossing around one of the strongest genin in the exams.

"You're genin is…..certainly strong" said Guy. He knew Lee was certainly in a bind here, his lotus wouldn't work on someone that could move that fast. He'd find a way get out of it and Lee would cause more harm to himself than the blonde. However…..there was one ace in the hole left.

"It seems your skills make most of my own taijutsu abilities useless" said Lee, brushing himself off and standing to full height, facing off against Naruto.

"I'm sure you've got more hidden away" said Naruto with a smile.

Lee frowned "You smile like you've won, but I will show you there is more to me than just speed! I have worked harder and struggled more than anyone to obtain this level and I won't go down so quickly!" Naruto's smile fell but had no time to talk as Lee suddenly began to flex and the air pressure around him spiked. The blonde said nothing while his chakra began to outpour from his body and even those in the stands could feel the raw power flowing off of him.

"I'm surprised a genin learned the eight inner gates" said Ren.

"I can't believe you allowed him to learn it" said Kakashi to Guy.

"You both know nothing of his hardships, his attitude, his drive to be the best he could be. He wanted to prove to everyone he could be a splendid ninja, with taijutsu alone and I've allowed him to do just that."

"That is an honorable thing but….you've got the wrong opponent for that" said Aki.

"Why do you say that?" asked Tenten, almost offended they were belittling her teammate.

"Naruto, he's been through more hardships than anyone I know. He's worked through a lot and if I were honest, he's probably been to hell and back. Whatever Lee's been through I'm sure was not easy, he's got dedication in spades and I respect him for that, he climbed over a wall most won't. Naruto, however, was put in front of a mountain and in the end, instead of climbing it, he ran straight through it. Your teammate may be strong, he may be fast but Naruto's faster, he's stronger and that's why he's our leader" said Kiyo.

With Naruto

The genin frowned at Lee's words, and his assumption. Just because you had it hard didn't mean everyone else had a perfect life, his was far from perfect. The way he spoke, as if his life was just the worst, it made him mad.

" _ **It seems the boy can use the eight gates. You can't fight against that speed on your own and you know it. Maybe it's time we paired up for a little bit, show these kids who's really the boss around here"**_ said Hitome through the mental link.

" _ **If you're ok with it but I won't be going all out, no matter how mad I am. I just want to prove a point here, and that's the same point I prove to anyone who acts like him."**_

" _ **I know sweetie, it's the same thing I've always taught you. Don't ever-**_

 **-underestimate your opponent!"** Just as Lee's skin turned red and chakra shot out from around him, so did it to for Naruto. There was one stark difference, Lee's chakra exploded more blue, as what little could be seen, but Naruto's entire body was enveloped in red chakra. It had an offsetting feeling as well, it made the entire room feel on edge, jus the malice coming from him alone offset the battle feel instantly.

' _So you taught him to use that chakra as well, Itachi'_ thought the Third Hokage.

"Here I come!" shouted Lee and Naruto smirked, his crimson eyes narrowing.

"Come get me then." Lee shot off like a bullet, tearing up the arena floor as he moved towards Naruto at speeds few thought he was going to reach. Lee hit first, and he his hard. All his momentum went straight through to Naruto's jaw and send him sailing across the arena. Lee disappeared again, reappearing under Naruto with the intention of kicking him high in the air. What Lee didn't expect was to come face to face with a fist just before he shot off again to avoid it.

Lee skidded to the side and watched as Naruto's hand slammed into the ground, creating a massive creator in the arena. Naruto pulled his hand out and swung his leg back, letting his heel clip Lee's chin and sent him into the arena wall again. This time Naruto moved quicker than before, slamming a fist into the spandex wearing ninja's chest. The blow forced all the air out of Lee's lungs and most certainly fractured ribs and bruised internal organs. However, Lee hit back with a solid palm to the solar plex which forced Naruto out of Lee's face and into the ground. The impact picked up dust which covered Naruto before Lee shot off into the smoke screen for his opponent.

"It's over" said Ren, confusing everyone around before the smoke cleared and it made sense. Lee was facing the way he went into the smoke cloud but instead of facing Naruto he was looking at the wall on the other side as Naruto's halberd rested against his throat.

"So, that halberd was placed there for a reason then. I can't believe he thought that far ahead with no prior knowledge on Lee" said Guy.

"He didn't plan every move till that point, he just knew where he wanted to be when it was time to end it and he had a plan to stop the match his own way" said Ren.

"You move forward, you die. You move back, I swing and you die. I'm resting on your major artery so even just a minor cut will have you losing more blood than you can handle. Choose carefully Lee, don't risk your life for some match up here" said Naruto, facing the other wall, his right arm holding the blade still. Lee shook, both in anger and sadness, letting his mind weigh each possibility before his skin slowly returned to normal.

"Proctor, I forfeit" said Lee almost too fast for anyone to pick up on it.

"Winner, *cough* Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto's looked began to return to normal, his hair seemed to tame down and his whisker's thinned but as his eyes returned to blue the pupils stayed like a cat. Naruto wasn't feeling like things were done, not with Lee but with something else he couldn't quite figure out so he was going to play it safe.

"You are a worthy opponent and truly a splendid ninja through and through. I never expected you to push me that far and still win like that."

"I did my best to make sure I stayed one step ahead of you so you stuck with basic taijutsu. I've heard of the hidden lotus and I didn't want to get hit by it so I showed off a new technique of mine no one, besides my team, has seen yet. You are really strong Lee, I was glad we got to fight here" said Naruto holding his hand out.

Lee graciously shook hands with his own smile in return to Naruto's "I too am glad we got this chance. Next time, I make sure I won't lose!"

"Haha that's the spirit!" said Naruto before Hayate spoke.

"I would like those who won to please come to the floor and the rest can wait where they are in the stands" said Hayate as the proctors from the two matches appeared next to the hokage with Ibiki holding a small black box. Those that won jumped to the floor but as Lee moved to return to his team he fell flat on his face, the sudden decline of power from his body forcing the shutdown of most of the bodies functions. Lee faced Naruto, their eyes not breaking contact before both burst into laughter and a few others couldn't help but smile a little at the scene.

"At least he made a friend, a good one too" said Sasuke to himself before looking to Naruto's team.

' _He's got a good thing going, his teammates showed flawless work with one another so I guess he couldn't ask for too much more. Maybe….maybe I need to work on that too.'_ Sasuke let the thought linger before joining everyone else who one on the floor as Lee was carried off by the medics and his sensei for an escort.

"I would like to congratulate you all on your performance thus far and I'm sure your team and sensei's are very proud of you. You have done your villages proud, showing off your strength and making it to the final part of the chunin exams. Each of you will draw a number from here and from there you will be paired up for the beginning rounds of the final stage" said the hokage. Ibiki walked to each genin, letting them draw numbers, the genin announcing their numbers before looking to the white board Anko brought out to show the bracket.

"The order will be Sasuke vs. Dosu, Temari vs Shikamaru, Neji vs Aki, Gaara vs Naruto and ending with Kankuro vs Shino" said Anko.

"Thank you once again for participating and I hope you all bring your best for the final matches. You have a month before we hold it, so train hard and rest up while you can. The lords of other lands, leaders, and those who send missions to villages will be traveling here within the month break, this is also a scouting event for more missions for a village. You are not just fighting for a winner of the exam but a chance to let your village prosper even more. That is all, you are dismissed." Naruto let out a sigh as he grouped back with his team and they were escorted out of the forest and back into the main part of the village.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" asked Naruto.

"I say let's go to the hot spring here. I'm ready for a nice relaxing time" said Kiyo stretching but stopped when Naruto immediately halted movement. She followed his line of sight and saw Mi leaning against the wall just ahead of them.

"What can we do for you?" asked Ren, stepping forwards only to see Mi frown, she never frowned. She was a prideful woman and she always found a way to keep her spirits up. Something was definitely off.

"They want to speak with you so please follow me."

"Who's they?" asked Ren only for her to turn and walk towards the village gates. No one moved until they heard a voice from behind them.

"Keep moving please, they really were adamant to speak with you immediately" said Keto. Naruto turned a little and sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to get out of it. They may be in Konoha but these two and their groups would pester them forever until they listened. He wasn't in the mood to deal with it, and he already had a hunch as to who it was.

"Fine, but we aren't going far from the village gates" said Ren not wanting to leave them vulnerable after just finished the second portion of the exam. They moved silently through the streets and no one spoke as Mi lead the group and Keto brought up the end.

"So, they even roped you in here. What happened to never bowing down to them" said Naruto.

"Things change, time gives someone to realize certain aspects" said Keto but Naruto got the hidden message. He wasn't given much of a choice, apparently Mi wasn't either if she was acting like this. The group continued for a few more minutes, exiting the gates and walking just a quarter mile out of the village gates and inside the forest nearby. Mi and Keto stood at opposite sides as they others stayed close together.

"Keep us off the beaten path, huh. Wonder who it is" said Aki, his palm resting on the hilt of his sword. Sudden he felt it, as did everyone, the wash of cold air and a dark presence before someone dropped in front of the group. The figure that appeared was certainly intimidating, it's old style, blue samurai armor covering every inch of skin. It had three blades, two at each hip and one massive katana on it's back. **(Armor given to the best samurai, full face shield, head armor, all coverage with plate like metal armor similar to Madara's.)**

"Aoi Oni **(Blue demon)** , I figured as much it'd be your group" said Naruto.

"What group?" asked Aki, shifted a little under the piercing blue eyes of the armored being.

"The largest mercenary group within the elemental nations, White Lotus" said their sensei, moving a little closer to his team. This being before them was powerful, it held the S-rank in the bingo book after all. As soon as Ren moved another figure appeared next to Aoi Oni, this time a red haired woman with green eyes clad in a different set up of armor. She had metal gauntlet over her red long sleeved shirt and a metal shoulder piece sat on her right hand, most likely her dominate one. Over the long sleeved shirt was a grey vest which connected with her long red skirt and ended at her heeled ninja sandals. The odd part of her skirt was the armor that was plated around her waist which covered almost down to where her knees would be. She also held a sword but it was a simple one, a double sided long sword you rarely saw used however it was known to be her specialty.

"Of course you'd be here as well, one of the last Uzumaki's. Kurai, it's been some time since we've seen one another or do you prefer the bingo book name Akuma No Ha **(Demon blade)** " said Naruto. It was obvious to everyone present he was still using his bijuu's chakra, the slit pupils was one give away but now it was harder to ignore while he was given off a very dark aura which caused Kurai to narrow her eyes.

"Keep your chakra under control, Naruto. I don't want to have to put you down for acting out and you know I'm fine with my own name, at least by you."

"Family is family, no matter the distance" said Mi, with a short but it. No one commented, Kurai and Naruto made no outward motion but they agreed silently, Uzumaki's were still that and they knew they'd watch one another's backs as long as they had the same interests in mind.

"I'll keep my chakra as free flowing as I wish, it's only to show you I'm not too tired for a little scuffle if things turn ugly. You won't make it far, this close to the village with anbu just inside the walls and a mass of foreign ninja here to take out your bounties. I'm not here for games so just come on out, Miss Hana." The ninja in the clearing watched as white sakura petals fluttered by in a small cluster, carried by a cool breeze just before a woman appeared in front of the other two ninja. She was almost a foreign concept compared to the others, wearing a pure white kimono, a golden obi and red geisha sandals. Her hair was very well done, put up in an elaborate fashion stating her noble status, along with the light touch of makeup which certainly wasn't use by just normal ninja.

"Too smart for your own good, Naruto my dear. It's been how many years now? Two?"

"Two and a half Miss Hana. I haven't seen you, or your twin sister Miss Amari since my last visit with the Akatsuki."

Hana smiled and titled her head a little "Oh, you mean when you crashed my birthday party to collect a bounty with those two immortal men of yours? You caused quite a scare, even forced my dear Aoi Oni to return from her assignment to take up full guard duty. I even instilled Kurai to travel with me since your buddies like to move in two's. Aoi Oni is strong, but two S-rank ninja are even too much even for her skills."

"Always playing defensive, I see. That's why you can't ever get ahead of your sister, she knows the power plays and when to use them. You build upon defense too much and leave yourself wide open, a little thinking here and there and I can wither inside you and your men."

Hana's smile dropped for a fraction of a second before she spoke again "Are you saying Aoi and Kurai are not enough to take care of your men, or even you, a lowly genin far in over his head?"

Naruto sighed "Alright, alright, enough trying to one up each other. It's just gonna keep going between us. What is it you called us out here for?"

"Answer the question."

Naruto looked at her in the eyes this time "What do you wan-"

"Now, boy" said Hana, her soft amber eyes freezing over as she leveled a glare with him, her damn smile still there as if she holds all the cards. Naruto tilted his head back and looked at her two guards then back to her once again, his eyes now blood red and each of her guards already tensing.

"You think you're the greatest, huh? Just cause you have two barely classified S-rank ninja on your sides means you can boss around Mi, Keto and my team. Who gave you such authority? We are Ame ninja, not yours, so why should I even stand here and listen to you, girl." Naruto saw it, only for a moment but her eye twitched just a little, now she was mad.

"I will do as I please, we own half of the underground networks within the entire elemental nations. You won't last long outside a village if you try to cross me, or the White Lotus. You are a genin, a. genin. Nothing special and certainly not enough for two very capable S-rank ninja. Now, answer the question I asked. Do you really think two of your people are too much for my guards, my army of ninja?"

"I'll humor you, I guess but let me ask you a question first. Why would I, so close to the wall of a village, flare my bijuu's chakra in such a fashion?" It was then only everyone understood what was going on, but it was too late. A flock of crows swooped in, swarming Naruto before a figure formed behind the young genin, it's piercing red eyes looming over the boys own.

"To answer your question, no, these two don't even stand up to one. Well, this one at least. Long time no see, Itachi."

"I see you got in trouble again, playing more games of yours. Now, what's all this about?" asked Itachi, his eyes scanning the three ninja in front of him. Each one visible flinched under his gaze and they had every right too, during his anbu days he was partly responsible for a large thinning of their forces during a raid. It was ruthless and bloody, it earned Itachi the title of captain for his actions shown that day. By now Hana was no longer smiling but she steeled herself, she came here and it wasn't going to be a wasted trip.

"I have information you may want-"

"Orochimaru playing kage with the sand and planning some invasion with his sound ninja behind him, know it. It was obvious there was an imposter kage, he was making odd trade moves and running the country into the ground, transferring funds to Sound and such. Not to mention the Sound's forces tripled in over a six month period just before the chunin exams all while this happened. So, any more news?"

Hana gritted her teeth "Yes, my sister and I have agreed to coincide just this once for the sole reason to keep Konoha safe. We will provide support through sleeper cells stationed inside Konoha to combat the forces being sent in from Suna and Sound. We are asking the same of the Akatsuki, or some kind of payment to refund the help we are giving if they cannot provide men or arms."

"I see, so if we decline you won't lift a finger to help then" said Naruto and Hana nodded her head.

"Then I'll ask this, why?"

Hana narrowed her eyes "You know why. The leaf is lenient with us, or doings and provides excellent grounds for bases hidden in their village and the surrounding area. We would not like to lose the contacts here or the opportunities most villages don't have to offer."

"Free market then, letting you flow around under the radar without having to try very hard. Understandable, the Akatsuki will send funds to reimburse the men and women you send along with shipments of weapons we have come across for your use in what you wish, defense here or whatever."

"How much?" asked Hana, no longer holding that hate filled glare. This was a business deal and nothing more now. The boy out played her, his cards higher than hers so now it was time for the personal matters to sit on the side lines. This was an important hub of information and easy retreat for anything they needed without too much hassle. Kiri was recovering from war, Suna was going down while Iwa and Kumo were so militarized it was too risky to sneak any real goods in.

"20,000,000 ryo **(2,000,000 US dollars)** " said Itachi. The amount almost made Hana choke on air, that was triple what they were expecting from them. So that begged the question, why?

"In exchange for the extra money given, Mi and Keto's clans are released from your rule completely. They have been with the Akatsuki for some time now, you knew that taking them and we are being generous by giving you an extra sum for the two clans" said Naruto. Mi and Keto were surprised but kept it hidden, they had gotten used to holding in the shock of these things. Itachi and Naruto were known as the representatives for the Akatsuki mostly, only Konan and Kakuzu showed any further exploration than these two but the duo was well known for creating the majority of the Akatsuki's contacts, trade deals and such matters.

Hana thought to argue briefly but dismissed it, he was right. That was a foolish thing to do and these men could have just given them the short stick and take the clans back by force. She knew what was needed and their offer was just what they needed at the moment.

"Very well, I hereby agree to the contract proposed between the White Lotus and the Akatsuki effective immediately."

Naruto smiled and nodded his head "The contract is open and we look forward to a steady relationship. Kakuzu will be by soon with the payment and Sasori will bring the arms shortly after. We leave the villages protection to you, do not disappoint." Hana said nothing as she turned heel and took off, her two guards moving shortly after. Naruto let the bijuu chakra in his system slowly die down as he turned to the elder Uchiha.

"What brings you here? I didn't think you'd be this close to the village."

"I'm here to sort out old business, something I took to heart from you."

Naruto showed quite the surprise "Oh, I didn't think you would. Good luck then, I'll see you some other time, take care."

"You as well and try not to get any more criminal warlords after you in the meantime."

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head "I wasn't trying to." Itachi shook his head before disappearing to leave the group alone again. Right until Mi dove at Naruto, picking him up in a tight hug as he dropped his weapon.

"You are the greatest gift I've ever gotten!"

"I am not your gift you crazy woman" said Naruto trying to break free. He struggled for a moment before Mi gave in and set him down. The blonde dusted himself off and shook Keto's outstretched hand.

"Thank you, I owe you one."

"I'll remember that."

Keto smirked "I know you will. I'm off, things to take care of now that I'm leader of my own clan once again."

"I guess I gotta do the same, see ya hot sensei!" Keto moved one direction and Mi moved the opposite, which left only the Ame ninja in the clearing.

"Ok, you know too many scary people and I swear the stress just watching is shaving years off my life" said Aki and Naruto laughed.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic."

"Blah blah, don't care! I'm done with all this serious mess! Hot springs, now!" said Kiyo, stomping her foot. The three genin laughed a little before looking to their sensei who was staring at the direction Mi went.

"What's up?" asked Naruto, grabbing his weapon.

"Nothing, let's get to relaxing guys. I'm tired watching you three all week."

"Oh, I'm sure your just exhausted" said Kiyo sarcastically.

 **That's the end of chapter 5, and oh boy what a chapter. Got a lot in here, 16 pages and around 9000 words. It's over 9000 folks, been a while since I've done that. Hope it's good, got to show a new aspect of Naruto. He didn't really do much in his past bouts, this one showed more of how he fights. He fights hard, but smart, which is gonna keep him from getting too messed up like Canon does, tanking through it with friendship, bijuu chakra and lots of screaming, clones and rasengan's. Now, review if ya can and tell me how things went. I get very little traffic on this story so every little bit counts and no hate on grammar, did what I could. Take care everyone, be safe.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the massive delay on all stories, I've been out of time, idea's and drive. Another writers block hit me and I haven't had the time with work to even try to push it out with drabble writing. Now I finally got some of it gone and finished off this chapter that's been sitting for some time. I'll be updating The Guardian and A Will To Live next, no matter how long it takes they will be updated before anything else. The Guardian is about 3/4** **th** **finished and A Will To Live is ½ way done. Now, in here we will see Naruto fight as Naruto is supposed to. I entered with him being smart and far above his peer group and others but never showed much past his Akatsuki days. Now, he's back and ready for action. Key note, his battles are fought with smarts and power so a lot won't be drawn out and lengthy like the anime. I mean, it's a full invasion and he knows that so he'll be looking for quick finishes when possible. Hope it's good, try to keep the hate low guys. Guests recently have been turning on the flame which kinda kills my writing mood. On we go!**

Chapter 6

' _Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect' ~Ralph Waldo Emerson_

Naruto was angry. No. He was beyond angry, he was furious. Everything had been going well, they finally had time to relax but then the one person he didn't want to speak to for at least another month appeared just a few feet from him.

"Deals with warlords, bidding on Itachi showing and trying to kill me with that crazy halberd at first glance isn't very smart of you kid."

"Well, just saw a fly so I tried to help out with the last bit" said Naruto, swinging the blade back around. His team was long gone, already in the hot springs but he had yet to make it. He was grabbing a change of clothes for the springs when this perverted old man popped up, literally.

"I believe that as far as I can throw you."

"That's pretty believable then. What do you want, Perv?"

Jiraiya visibly deflated "Must you call me that all the time?"

"Yes, now speak or leave."

"I'm here to give you an offer, training per say. I know you've got plenty of power under your belt but you don't have a lot of battle experience. Plus, I recently found a wind scroll I'm sure you'd love to read over. I'll even let you bring your team, have my clones train them too so no one's left out." Naruto thought the offer over, moving past his dislike of the man's previous actions and personality. Ren was their sensei but this was a sanin, someone even Itachi wouldn't dare fight against alone without a heavily laid out plan. Even Pein was wary of the man, which said a lot to who he was. This could place them above and beyond their current level and assure them a winning spot in the finals and keep them alive longer in this cut-throat world.

"Alright, we'll meet you near the village wall tomorrow morning. No perving here though as long as Kiyo's around, understand?" The look Naruto was giving promised he'd bother him forever to make sure he did nothing and a shadow wasn't something Jiraiya was looking for.

"Ugh…..fine. I'll see you all then." With that said the man disappeared, most likely to go to a local brothel somewhere far from the hot springs.

Naruto sighed and let his halberd disappear into its seal "Now I get to explain this to everyone else. Joooooooy to meeeee."

Two weeks later

Aki sighed, stripping off his shirt and undershirt as the Konoha heat began to pick up. Naruto was long gone with Jiraiya and Ren, off to help get some supplies and food for the next week. It was his time to relax for a bit. He unstrapped his sword from his waist and took his boots off before laying down in the soft grass near the small river. There wasn't a view like this in Ame and he wanted to get the most of it when he had the time. He thought he was alone until the sudden weight of someone's head on his lap appeared.

"Kiyo, what're doing?" asked the teen.

"Resting my head and enjoying the cloudy sky. Why?"

"Just curious." He said nothing more, not wanting to disturb the tranquility of the moment, or the enjoyment of his teammate being so close to him. Through the ten minutes of silence he had begun to run a hand through her hair slowly. That was until he decided to ask a question which had been eating away at him for some time.

"Kiyo."

"Yes?"

"Aren't you…..I mean….don't you like…..uh…."

"Like Naruto? I did, a few months ago when we first lived together and I then got to know him. He did more for me than my family ever did, even my own brother. He cared for me a lot, watched over me when I went shopping and made me feel more for him than I expected to."

"But…..?"

"But, it was clear, maybe not to him, that he was stuck to someone else. You could tell just by how he acted around women, his neutral attitude was always the same. I guess when it got to the point where it was obvious he only saw me as a sister was when my feelings began to dull. I liked him, as I do now, but as a friend and a brother I could always count on. I don't think I could see him any other way."

"I see. I am curious, did you ever speak to him about this?"

"No, I didn't need to. I just know, he's outright said it that he sees me as a sister he never had but always wanted. I'll take it though, and for the past month of training in Ame I started to see past Naruto and towards you. You keep to yourself mostly and it made me curious, until we all got closer after the Zabuza mission. It was nice seeing that side of you so I wanted to know you better, and I did during our training. You're a likeable guy, you're really sweet, you care a lot for your friend's well-being and you showed a softer side I didn't know of in the Academy. I'd like to know more, if you'd let me."

Aki kept quite for a few moments before he responded "Well, that the first time someone's called me a likeable guy so there's a plus for me. I kinda thought the same about you for a while but I kept it to myself since you seemed interested in Naruto. Now I know you're not I don't see the harm in getting to know one another better. Let's see where things go, just the two of us."

Kiyo smiled and closed her eyes, basking in the sun "That sounds nice." Little did they know Naruto had heard it all, standing in the shadow of the forest behind them silently. He had arrived shortly after Aki Kiyo appeared but stayed away when he saw her lay down with him. Throughout the conversation he didn't say a word or show himself, he let them have their moment as Kiyo spoke.

All she said, he knew. He knew she liked him, he chose to ignore it, cast it aside and state she was like a sister to him, which she was. He didn't see her as anything but seeing the pain in her eyes as she admitted it out loud to someone else was not something he wanted to see. He should have clearly stated it when he first noticed her attraction but she caught on to his other secret, one no one else besides these two knew. He was interested in someone else, someone he couldn't imagine life without. Kiyo could not fill that spot no matter how hard she tried. His heart belonged to his love and no one was capable of taking it from her. With the two now slowly drifting to sleep he disappeared, choosing to rejoin Ren and Jiraiya at the town nearby. His mission to see if they had any cooking ingredients would be a failure for the time being.

One month later

Kiyo was laughing aloud at this point, not caring that Tenten was glaring at her from just beside her.

"Did he really just say Aki was fated to lose? That's just rich. He should have just not shown up like that Dosu guy with Sasuke. Even though…..Sasuke wasn't around either."

"Neji's one of the strongest genin in Konoha. What makes you so sure he's going to lose to your teammate?" Kiyo turned to Tenten with a look that just told her outright that her teammate was more outclassed than she'd ever dream of.

"Was your teammate trained by Jiraiya of the sanin?"

With Aki

"Must you keep drabbling on and on about how sad your life was?" asked Aki, cutting Neji's life story short.

"Excuse you?" asked Neji, his eyes narrowing.

"You are complaining about things you can change. That seal may be a family matter but do you think you are alone, prodigy or not. Being in such a standing you are now leads you a perfect path as an advocate and the turning point for your clan but you are choosing to do what you are doing now. Mope, complain and blame 'destiny' for your problems. Stand up, gather those you know who are wronged, and fight back. I would give you a better pep talk but this is a battleground, not a councilors office. Hold fast, because I'm sure you won't see it coming." Aki crouched a little, a hand moving to his sword and Neji quickly activated his byakugan and moved into his own stance. That was all he had time to do before he saw blood. At first, he wasn't sure if it was his own but once he felt the sudden rush of pain across his chest he knew it was his. His body reacted in instinct next, flying his right hand out to hit the flat side of Aki's blade high into the air. He followed up quickly, stepping forward and using a straight forward palm strike to push him far across the arena.

Neji's left hand moved slowly and his eyes followed, seeing the slash going from shoulder to waist. It wasn't deep and most likely wouldn't leave a scar but it drew plenty of blood. Neji looked to Aki who was watching Neji, his blade drawn and ready to strike again.

"As I said, you won't see it coming. Will you forfeit here or do you wish to hit the wind longer?"

"I knocked your blade away. Who's to say I won't do it again?"

"I let you because I wanted to show you that which you cannot see is within your grasp. I slowed the blade which was aimed for your throat, an easy killing strike. Do not push this."

Neji only glared "I will show you I am not to be-" His sentence was cut short when a blade was once more resting against his throat.

"There was no fluke earlier. I let you block my blade, just as I said. Do not push a second strike." Neji gave no response, because now the new proctor was in between to the two.

"The match is called, Aki is the winner." The genin sheathed his sword, bowed his head and turned, walking back to the contestant's box.

Genma turned to Neji as the medics begun their run towards him "I called that match knowing you were not going to find a way out of that. You would have taken the blow and possibly bled to death on the floor here. Take his words to heart and some advice from me as well. Try not to be so head strong, doing something like that will only get you and your team killed. I'm sure you don't care for your life but don't sacrifice the life of others for your own reckless path." Neji said nothing as the jonin turned and left while the medics begun to inspect him and rush him off the arena. There was just only one thought running through his head as the world moved around him. How could he have been so blind all these years?

"I need Naruto and Gaara to come down for the next round" said the jonin, putting his toothpick back in his mouth as he sensed the sand ninja appear in a shunsin to his right. He looked around, trying to spot the blonde but never got far when a massive halberd slammed into the ground across from Gaara. Only a moment later did the blonde land atop it, an ever present smile on his face.

"Nice to see you, brother" said Naruto, only Gaara getting the meaning of his comment but not saying anything as his gourd corked popped off as soon as Genma's hand went down.

"Begin!" shouted the proctor. Gaara saw the first blow coming, his sand easily blocking it but he never expected the second, a brutal kick to the back that sent him across the arena where he skidded to a stop. The next thing Gaara noticed was the swarm of Naruto clones surrounding him, easily numbering over two dozen. The red head felt no rush, thrusting both his hands out as a mass of sand protruded from the ground, dispersing every clone and leaving an empty arena.

"Quite the offensive move, but it doesn't do much when you can't see what's coming at you." Gaara looked straight forward, his sand erecting a wall to his left to stop a barrage of small weapons. He kept his eyes on the rest of the arena, never loosing eye contact with the halberd still implanted in the ground. That was when Naruto appeared, right in front of his weapon.

"So you found me under my little genjutsu. Guess mother told you that one so it doesn't really count for you. Oh well, are you gonna just stand and stare or make a move?"

"I am not foolish enough to defy mother and charge you, just as mother has instructed me no to. You will die, one way or another" said Gaara before the sand around him began to rumble and four clones appeared from the rising sand. Each one was fairly close to one another and kept themselves between Naruto and the real Gaara.

' _He's playing defensive, keeping a guard up between me and him. Shukaku doesn't like that I can get through his defensives so he's doing more to separate us and distract me. This is good though, gives me time to gauge his full use of sand abilities and know that their playing defensive so it's easier to make them slip up.'_ Naruto took a few steps forward, stretching his arms a little while the sand clones begun to take up a more defensive stance. The first one didn't have time to react, his head disappearing with a swift punch. Naruto quickly channeled chakra to his left arm and thrust his palm forward, hitting the clones chest and forcing it to hit the other one and skid to a stop near Gaara. A moment later both clones were engulfed in a fiery explosion which overtook the original with them.

"Throwing a tag on his palm before hitting that sand clone was ingenious. Kid's smarter than most of the people fighting and better than most Ame ninja I've come across" said Asuma.

"I heard a lot of good things from Kakashi when I met up with him after that wave mission. He seemed to speak highly of the boys team and his sensei" said Kurenai next to him before her anbu friend Yugao appeared next to her.

"Ren Nora, he's considered the best jonin in Ame and one of the top ranking jonin in the world currently. His hand to hand skills are insane and he's only been getting better as time passed since he trains with his team while we just sit idle with ours. The team's been referred to as the best genin team right now."

"I can see why, they're certainly something else" said Asuma.

With Naruto

The blonde didn't move as the dust settled and he saw a half a glass wall protecting Gaara who did not look very happy.

Naruto only smiled "Yeah, my tags don't have much of a shock factor. They're set to incenerate and reach temperatures to turn sand to glass. Made some just for you, buddy!" Gaara only narrowed his eyes and dispersed the two other clones, calling the sand back before slowly forming a dome of sand and a lone eye sentinel above.

"Ah, learned that taking me on any other way wouldn't do you good. Your sands too slow and you don't have enough to keep me totally focused on your attacks. Now, how do I take care of this? Well, a forward hit would be best since I'm not sure I could do much past that."

Naruto walked back to his weapon and heaved it from the ground before taking a stance just a dozen feet from the dome of sand near the wall of the stadium. The stadium watched as he gripped his weapon with both hands and his chakra suddenly peaked tremendously. He let it rise, slowly climbing to heights no genin should be able to reach. Most ninja above jonin had as much chakra as he was excluded but what awed the ninja around was how he could control it to such a fine degree. Suddenly, his charka stopped climbing and he let out a sigh, his body now glowing blue as the chakra around him seemed to make the area around him shine.

"That's a high concentration. Wonder if it'll actually help him or he'll just miss with the added power and get nothing done" said Asuma, leaning in a little more. He had never seen so much energy in someone so young, if he could pull this off, the world would fear him much more than they already did now.

"He'll get it, if he's doing what I think he's gonna do" said Shikamaru, now sitting with his sensei and his friends.

With Naruto

" _ **You know what's going to happen after this succeeds so I don't have to tell you to be prepared. However, I can tell you to be safe and if you need help just call on me"**_ said Hitome to him.

"I know, thank you" said Naruto aloud before he moved forward with his plan. Contrary to most watching, he didn't charge, he simple lifted his blade and brought it down. Hard. The power behind the swing alone was enough to break ground easily, added with the charka he enhanced to his body took it to another level. Once it hit, the arena ground cracked and heaved, the massive impact causing it to all break apart. It could be seen from above that the stone structure around it too was cracking from the blow, even with its fortifying seals.

Naruto looked ahead as the ground gave way, the massive chunks of ground splitting apart which began to cause the sand barrier to fall apart. The blonde never budged, watching the barrier split farther apart until he locked eyes with the red haired jinchuuriki. Gaara only saw the blue eyes mark to his before all he could feel was pain. The instant Naruto had made eye contact Gaara lost his focus on his hovering eye and his attention was only focused the blonde. However, with their eyes locked Gaara's full view on his body movements were limited so he never saw the slight tilt of his body and bending of his knees before he lunged at the red head. Gaara was surprised by the fist that hit him square in the jaw and sending him through the sand barrier and against the wall. This blow wasn't just a normal punch, added with the lunge power was the leftover chakra gathered from earlier Naruto had held back just for this moment. A single blow that shook the red head to his core and made him take a massive blow he most likely had never taken before. Once he had impacted the wall the sand barrier began to dissipate and slowly crawl towards its down master, slowly engulfing him as he stayed motionless stuck inside the wall.

"Something's not right" said Naruto, narrowing his eyes at the scene before him. Gaara was awake, his breathing rate showed that, but his seemed to be having some kind of inner conflict as he had yet to even attempt to remove himself from the wall or react to the punch at all. The sand around Gaara slowly covered his form, almost seeming like a cocoon against the wall but what made Naruto on edge was the movement and chakra it was excluding. The sand was not still, it was shifting constantly, growing in size while he could pick up a minute amount of demonic chakra molding itself inside.

" _ **Shukaku can't control the boy unless he falls asleep so there isn't a need to worry about that part yet. However, with a slip in security and his loose grasp on sanity, there is a good chance Shukaku will slip through some of the barrier and change the boy's defensive mind set."**_

" _ **If he knows it's your jinchuuriki he's fighting, will he still go after us?"**_

" _ **Possibly, but with more urgency and power. Why?"**_

" _ **If things get to that tipping point where Shukaku takes over completely, I might have a way to take care of him quicker than I had originally thought. Let's just see how thing's play from here"**_ said Naruto before focusing back on the shifting sand cocoon. As he watching it continue to grow he seemed to twitch his fingers around, moving in small but odd and seemingly random patterns. Too almost everyone, it seemed like he was simply nervous, bidding his time as the sand grew but to some occupants it was a different story.

In the contestants box

Temari sat alone, watching the match when the woman she saw with the blonde boy and Aki appeared next to her teammate. She paid no mind, like her brother did, and kept all eyes on the cocoon hoping nothing besides their brother came out of it.

"If he signaled that then the rest of Konoha will be on lockdown soon. Are you ready?" asked Aki, resting a hand on his sword. Kiyo said nothing, only nodding her head as she slid her bow off and stood ready with her teammate. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Shikamaru shift from his sleeping spot, a hand resting on his kunai pouch while his shadow seemed to flutter a little. Even Shino, alone in the front of the box was seeming tense, both hands now at his sides instead of on the rail as they had been.

With Asuma

"The hell are they even doing now?" asked Asuma, truly curious why both contestants seemed unmoving but as Naruto began to twitch his fingers Yugao leaned forward, her entire posture now at the ready for movement.

"What's wrong, Yugao?" asked Kurenai only for her to disappear in a shunsin.

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Kakashi watched the match with a deep interesting, examining every movement Naruto showed while fighting the Sand genin. He showed more grown than one would expect in the month break from the last section of the chunin exams. When he fought Lee his movements were fast, but it stopped there. He had plenty of openings as he swung his body around carelessly. Now, even down to the most basic of movements, nothing was wasted. He conserved more energy, added extra power to each attack and sped up in the process.

' _There's no way a month would do that to anyone, there's too much to work on in that time. You break habits you created from years of fighting, just your normal moving actions have to be worked on to get to that state. So what made him sudden so much better now?'_

"He's always been this good" said Ren walking up to him and Sasuke. The two stood atop the cover of the arena since they had arrived late so seeing someone else up there was somewhat of a surprise. Kakashi turned slightly, seeing the black haired jonin of Ame starring down at the arena, watching the events unfold.

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke, beating his sensei to the punch.

"I mean exactly what I said. He's always been this good but since he met his team Naruto's purposely limited himself. He's changed his style when he met the genin, knowing his skills far exceeded their own so he created his own limiters. Those made him feel…closer to them since he no longer out classed them by such a large margin. Now, after our training session and some sense talking, he's back to his peak or past that really."

"What's his peak? Was he like some chunin level or something when he met his team?" asked Sasuke, somewhat understanding the situation. He was a high genin level, not quite chunin but he saw himself at a good place at the current moment. So he assumed Naruto was most likely a chunin level before and now he was mid to high level chunin.

"Low jonin level" said Aki, glancing to Sasuke to see his shocked reaction and even Kakashi's slight disbelief.

"He was trained by people who all tip the scale of Kage. Would you expect nothing less? Especially from your own brother's student?" That got Sasuke attention even more before he turned to Naruto once again. As he kept his attention on the blonde, Yugao appeared next to Kakashi.

"Senpai, I sa-"

"I know. We'll speak of it later, for now just make sure everyone's getting ready." With her former captain's words she disappeared once more.

"Trusting a boy you barely know? How unlike you" said Ren.

"I know him well enough to know he wouldn't lie about an attack about to hit his birth place."

With Naruto

' _It stopped. He's going to move now, if he does move at all'_ thought the blonde just before he jumped back to where his weapon was, avoiding a massive claw that erupted from the cocoon. It was abnormal looking, three black claws in the front and strange markings covering the sand which it was formed from. The appendage slapped down on the ground, slowly slithered back into the cocoon before the hole it created closed.

Slowly the sand stopped it's shifting and began to fall, showing Gaara barely conscious in the wall. Naruto didn't flinch as the red head glared at him, bloodlust radiating all over the arena now just from the jinchuuriki.

"Guess you didn't like that love tap?" asked Naruto, smirking a little to bait him. The blonde deduced the red head loosing his grip on his bijuu would also cause the start of the invasion early. That was his goal, push for it to begin so he could move their battle elsewhere and he wouldn't need to restrain himself.

"I'll kill you, not for mother, but to prove my existence. To show everyone I'm alive!" shouted Gaara surprising his siblings. They couldn't recall the last time they'd heard him shouted and frankly it was worrying to them all. He was going to ruin the plan they'd worked so hard to set up.

"Show me then, let me feel your conviction." Gaara forcefully ripped his body out of the hole he was stuck in and fell to the ground, still feeling the aftereffects of such a blow. As he began to stand once more his gourd reformed itself once more on his back. He took his first few steps and raised his right hand as sand began to form under his feet and shape with his chakra empowering it. Then, as quickly as it came, the bloodlust and energy surrounding Gaara disappeared and he fell to his knees. Things changed once that happened, Naruto sensed a good portion of the occupants in the arena had passed out.

' _Genjutsu. It's started now'_ thought the blonde just as the siblings of his opponent appeared, grabbed their brother and fled towards the forest outside the wall. Naruto sighed, breaking his weapon free from the ground as his own team appeared behind him.

"Let's go hunt that tanuki" said Naruto only to stop when the sand siblings jonin sensei stood in their way.

"You won't be going any-" his words were cut off when he avoided a hail of kunai from the proctor, Genma.

"Get going you three! I'll handle this!" No words were needed, the team took off as soon as they had the opening. While making their way out of the arena Naruto stopped at the covering where Sasuke still stood, Ren and Kakashi long gone to fight off the Sand and Oto shinobi.

"Itachi always regretted what he said to you that night, and what he didn't say. He only wished to see you grow stronger than him, to be free of the burden he's forced to carry with him. I can have you speak with him but…you know the only way I'd let you."

Sasuke turned to him, sharigan flared to life "I just want answers. I'll help you."

Naruto smiled "Good, then let's get going." With those words the two took off, joining with Naruto's teammates near the border before leaving the village wall.

"They'll most likely separate first, Sasuke take the sister. Aki, you'd be best for Kankuro. Kiyo will support me while I take on Gaara."

"Alright, she uses wind jutsu right? I didn't see much of her from my fights" said Sasuke.

"Yeah, she uses it with her fan so she's a mid to long range user but she seemed to be nimble enough for close combat as well. Try to keep it close, I'm sure out here she'll go wild with her jutsu."

"Hn" grunted Sasuke just as they neared the trio.

"They're closing in" said Kankuro, glancing behind.

"I'll take what I can on, just keep moving" said Temari, letting go of her youngest brother before turning around. She quickly unfolded her fan, sending a gust of wind to halt their movements while she took a stance on a tree limb. She had only just stood at the ready when she noticed it, the chakra signature just to her left. Temari only had enough time to move her eyes, seeing the blonde from before overstep her and take off, his two teammates going either above or below her and regrouping farther down the path. She tried to turn and attack but had to jump back to avoid the ax kick from Sasuke.

"I am your opponent, not them" said Sasuke, his two tome sharigan glaring into her teal eyes.

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Kankuro growled out, sensing three people once more on his tale. He knew for sure he couldn't fight them off and keep his brother out of their hands.

"Let me be, I'll take care of whoever comes after me" said Gaara, slowly waking back up.

"Gaara, you need to-"

"No, I need to kill these people. Do as I say" said Gaara.

"…fine, just don't lose." Kankuro set his brother down and he shot off in the same direction. The puppet user only just turned when a blonde blur passed him, another running overhead. He tried to pull out his puppet but substituted with a log when the sword wielding Ame ninja swung.

"You have more things to worry about then my teammates."

"Gaara's going to kill them, you know that?"

"Possibly, in your dreams. Naruto won't lose, not to someone like him" said Aki, taking a stance as Kankuro unraveled his puppet.

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Just as they begun to get closer towards Gaara Naruto spoke to Kiyo.

"You know the drill, separation and attack. He shouldn't be too hard, his control over his bijuu powers is terrible and in that mixed state his sand control will be shot too. Let's gather some initial info then well go for the finishing blows. Watch his hand for me though, if he uses his play possum jutsu Shukaku will take over and make it a much harder match than we need it too be."

"Alright, I'll do my best. Just try not to get too beat up, last I checked the third is locked alone with Orochimaru. He's old Naruto and Orochimaru is….well….it's Orochimaru."

Naruto sighed "I made my peace with Jiji long ago, we knew what we were getting into when he sent me away. I met and talked a few years ago, what happens today won't change what we spoke of."

Kiyo eyed him but kept her thoughts to herself "If you say so, be careful." With that she disappeared, taking the high ground once more to provide long rage support. Naruto sped forward, stopping on a branch just a short distance from his fellow jinchuuriki. Gaara stood there, letting the sun bask on his face as Naruto arrived from behind.

"Did you think running would save you or are you trying to have some final stand death match?" asked Naruto, his halberd hefted on his right shoulder.

"Why do you fight me? I know my reasoning but you have no clause to hunt me down. You answer won't keep me from killing you but if you're supposed to be like me, why are you so different in your drive?" asked Gaara, showing some semblance of sanity.

"I am not hunting you, I wished to help knowing you've been misguided due to your upbringing. If we truly are brothers, I see no harm in wanting to help you see another possibility to live better. My drive comes from protecting my team and those I hold dear to me. My will to fight, my drive, everything I stand for, I put on the line to keep them all safe. I see you as another I wish to consider family, and I'll do whatever I can to help. Will you see my own way or keep with this useless battle?"

"I've heard those honey coated words before and I won't listen to them once again. I will kill you, to please mother and to prove my existence. You are a stepping stone to keep me alive so make me feel alive today Uzumaki!" said Gaara as the sand gourd shifted completely, incasing his body almost entirely to take the form of a miniature one tailed tanuki.

"Very well" said Naruto to himself, bending down a little into his own stance. It took no more than a moment, even Gaara could barely follow it but in a split second Naruto had brought his blade down on his back. The next instant he was sent flying through tree limbs and flattened into the ground below.

"If you can't even dodge a simple blow like that then this won't be much of a battle at all" said Naruto down to Gaara. His words seemed to spark something in the red head as the mass of sand around him began to shift, letting off much of its mass and making way for a thinner form from before. Looking at him now, it seemed as if he was more human than bijuu, the familiar shape of the tanuki thinned dramatically but keeping its mostly full coverage and tail.

" _ **I have never seen or heard of this stage in Shukaku's containers. This may be due to Gaara's own mentality warping the sand slightly to combat your speed. Watch carefully, the sand can still move off of him just as it did now to attack"**_ said Hitome through the link. Naruto didn't say anything, more that he couldn't, as soon as she finished Naruto ducked, Gaara's clawed arm flying overhead. Not missing a beat, Naruto tilted forward and swung his back leg up to connect with his opponents throat. Once he was sure his foot was in proper position he let go of his weapon and placed both hands on the branch he stood on before pushing off with all his might. The throat kick stunned Gaara but when he pushed off it sent him away into the air, immobile and defenseless.

Gaara didn't see the point, it was easy to recover from but his thoughts of recovery were cut when an arrow lodged itself into a tree branch just ahead, it's shaft covered in seals.

' _Explosive seals'_ was what he thought before his form was coated in a fire blast and the black smoke that quickly followed. Naruto took that time to jump and gain distance while watching the smoke fade to show a slightly singed sand shell. It was already showing signs of repair so he quickly signaled to Kiyo, letting her of the outcome. She could see most things but small details like minor burn healing wasn't her best at that distance.

" **Cheap tricks and fire crackers won't save you"** said Gaara, in a gruff voice. This was his bijuu form, unlike Naruto's chakra cloak, Shukaku's was sand oriented. As he expected of a weaker bijuu, as well as one that bends sand to its will.

"Analyzing an opponent is not cheap tricks, I assure you that. Now I know what I've seen, I can act accordingly."

" **Is that so?"** said Gaara with a smirk before spikes of sand erupted from below where Naruto stood. He reacted quickly, jumping backwards and frowning.

"Is this really how this battle's going to be? Little tricks and a sand show? I expected more from this but you don't seem to have a lot tricks under your sleeve."

" **I'll kill you and show you just how strong I am!"** said Gaara, barreling through the sand spikes. Naruto didn't show any distress at the move, he didn't even budge when a claw slammed into his stomach.

" **How does that feel, Uzumaki."**

"Don't know, ask him" said a voice from above as the Naruto in front of Gaara disappeared in a burst of smoke. That same instance Gaara once more was hit from above and his form was seen falling towards the ground. Thinking quickly, his tail grabbed a branch he flew past , stopping him just before propelling him up towards Naruto. He used his claws as best he could, jumping from tree to tree, gaining more speed and closing the distance faster than Naruto expected.

"Beasts like this are always such fickle things, tanking through my attacks but there mind is too warped to do much else. A delicate situation to balance properly" said Naruto before he swung his halberd horizontally, blocking the first claw as the second one slid under the blade and poised for his stomach. It would have hit had an arrow hit the side, throwing off the trajectory to only scrape his side. The blonde flew through a few one handed signs before pulling his halberd back and thrusting his palm forward.

" **Futon: Reppusho (Wind release: Gale Palm!)"** Gaara was once more forced backwards but this didn't have the same force as one of his punches It just sent him down a few dozen feet to land atop a branch. The red head shook his head, shaking the dizziness from the sudden pressure forced atop him and looked up to see the blonde no longer there. His instincts kicked in and he held his large sand arms in front of him, blocking a hail arrows, kunai and shuriken. The small weapons bounced harmlessly off him and he pulled his arms slightly apart, looking for a frontal attack after the hail, but it never came.

"I am no beast, a frontal attack is too barbaric against someone like you" said Naruto from Gaara's right side, impaling the tip of his halberd into the sand covering his body. He didn't' stop with the initial jab, he continued by lifting him, seeing the blood soak the sand and hearing the scream of the boy as he withered in pain. As soon as he knew it pierced skin he hefted the weapon up quickly, releasing Gaara but spun around, bringing the halberd's blade straight into the back of his opponent. There was no wait for blood, it was obvious when the sand died red and the screams grew while he once more flew through the air. This time, however, he came to quickly, using his claw to right himself and face Naruto.

" **I'll show you real terror! It's time to come out, mother!"** shouted Gaara in his beast form, the sand falling from his hands as he closed them to one another. They never met, all the jinchuuriki could see was the weapon now sticking out of his stomach before the owner appeared on the other end, having thrown it at him.

"I'd never give you a chance to do that." With that said Naruto used his strength once more, bringing Gaara around him and down, sending him through the tree's and right into the ground. Having this happen more than once Gaara made one last ditch effort to injure the blonde, swinging his tail around to dig into his back. It wasn't a life threatening injury, or one that would cause much of a hassle to him but it was a wound. It left a long, somewhat deep, rough cut across part of his back. The wound threw off his balance and send him down with Gaara so when he impacted the ground Naruto delivered another blow, a chakra enhanced punch to his chest.

This blow was the final blow to the sand genin, breaking and cracking most of his ribs. Alone in his bijuu form, it wouldn't amount to much but the other blows and cuts he received was too much for his body to handle. The sand armor sifted away, pooling around him as Naruto stood above him, breathing heavier than normal as Hitome's chakra began to heal his wound. He had made it a point to never rely on it so when he did use it the chakra was a little tiring, something to work on in the future he filed away.

"You see the world as unfair, wanting nothing but your death and yours alone. People do care for you, your siblings, your friends and those you chose to see as close to you. Change your lifestyle, open up to them, realize they want to help you just as much as you wish to stay alive. Keep them close, confide in them, protect them and you will have more a reason to live than trying to prove it by taking lives in some pointless fashion only a deranged bijuu would do." Gaara said nothing, the words seeping into his mind. He knew of these things but….his method had been working until now. Until he met this man. As Naruto finished Temari and Kankuro arrived, landed just a couple dozen feet away from the two.

"He's alive, but beaten for sure" said Naruto, stepping over the red head and moving a few feet in front of him. The siblings tensed, their former opponents sensed Gaara's chakra disappear so they let the two get by. However, it was obvious he called the shots and seemed completely unharmed after fighting Gaara. Which mean to them, he was extraordinarily powerful. As they thought this Naruto walked towards them then continued and moved passed them.

"Not sure why you were all so worried, his activation form isn't much if you know what your doing. I would suggest getting him and leaving as soon as you can. I can't guarantee your safety in the coming minutes." The siblings listened to him as they ran to their brother and Kankuro helped him up, throwing his arm around his shoulder.

"Konoha shinobi won't be out here that quick, unless you're talking about yourself" said Temari.

"I'm talking about the rouge squad heading this way and their leader just ahead" said Naruto, right as a silver haired man dropped down in front of him.

"Hello, Kimimaro. I haven't seen you in ages" said the blonde as his new adversary stood slowly, his obvious get up showing he was one of the sound ninja directly under Orochimaru rule.

"It has, Naruto-san. I do apologize for not visiting but as you know, it's too late to reflect on such leisure activities. I have a purpose here of course, one which does reside with you."

Naruto turned to the sand trio behind him, "Leave, as I said, while you still can. I have given him a second chance and ended our match swiftly so his bijuu wouldn't run amok once more. What you do with that is of your own accord."

The eldest hesitated, not wanting to simply leave knowing such an enemy could be ganged up on now and finished.

"Leave, it's a pointless battle and bloodshed unneeded from my siblings."

"But Gaara…." Said Temari but he silenced her with a look.

"He has graced us, an enemy responsible for an invasion on his former home. Take it while we can, sister."

"Let's go" said Kankuro, acting decisively before he took off, his sister moving closely behind.

"Nice to be alone with you, now mind telling me why you're here. You are dying, and you alone can't stop myself and my teammates."

"Of course not, Orochimaru-sama sent me to distract you as he makes his escape from the battle with the hokage."

"The outcome?" The silent response was all he needed.

"Where you there to help?"

"No, I only arrived to intercept you. I do want to ask though, do you hold any anger towards Orochimaru-sama for his actions?"

"No, I know his reasons and I understand the quest for knowledge and power takes one far into a world few gaze into. I don't condone them but I was never close with Jiji since I left, he was simply an old acquaintance I know little of. I will still need to speak with him on this though, no matter what he has done. Tell me, why are there others coming here?"

"To capture Sasuke Uchiha. We know of your power and my presence was needed to stall while such things are taking place."

Naruto shook his head as he summoned his halberd and channeled Hitome's chakra through him, knowing he'd need the boost of function ability.

"You underestimate him, my teammates and the village ninja here. It took considerable chakra to keep the barrier running, and facing my team, plus everyone else won't go lying down. Now, for you, a skilled ninja against me is a wise choice. Do you think you stand a chance against me?"

"Many months ago, when I was watching from the shadows near wave, I did. You didn't have the skill you possessed years ago, the drive, such meaning where you faced people twice your age and broke them like a toy. Now, this battle's use is unsure to me. Those eyes, that's the eyes that watched me when I grew under Orochimaru during his Akatsuki years. A cold, ruthless man who only seeks to keep his team alive and crush whatever stand in front of them. The tactician of the Akatsuki, their secret weapon they all trained. Nonetheless, I am a servant and I will do as my master bids. It was nice knowing you, Naruto. I thank you for the days we spend relaxing together all those years ago" said the bone user, summoning two tanto sized bone shards from his palms and taking a stance.

"I wished things played differently but I'm glad you found your peace before we faced off in the inevitable fight we know we would have. Let's begin." Naruto moved first, pushing forward and bringing his weapon down hard. Most would block the blow, using their strength to match his but Kimimaro was different. He wasn't much for strength and he knew Naruto's secret, the seals on his arms were not activated with chakra. They were enhanced with it, passed enhancement they were always on and adding to his blows.

He used his nimble body to weave from the blow and jump left as the blade hit the ground, cracking under the force. He turned the tide quickly from there, sending a series of short jabs at Naruto. The blonde dodged most but the sharp bone slashed him once on his side and another on his cheek. Kimimaro would have kept up with his strikes but stopped and brought his hands to guard his side, taking the flat side of Naruto's halberd head on. Naruto pushed through the guard and swung, sending his opponent through a few tree's before he used his bone blade to come to a halt.

' _He's excelled a lot and I'm sure his bone use has increased too but his move set is exactly the same. He keeps relying on his speed and agile body to maneuver around whatever he can and strike fast. The next time he does it, I'll break his guard.'_

" _ **Be wary of his bone use, they've been around for quite a while and I've learned a few things from them. They use every bone they can, firing their finger digits and even using their backbone as a whip. Prepare for it."**_

" _ **Thank you, Hitome."**_

" _ **You know I'm always glad to help my Naru-kun."**_ Naruto unconsciously smiled as he stood across from the recovering Kimimaro who saw the same and grew angry.

"Do you think this is a time to smile? You have done nothing to warrant a win. My past self seems to lead me as readable, and an easy target. I'll show you the power Orochimaru-sama gifted me" said the silver haired man as a curse seal began to slither around his neck, covering his entire body before his skin began to turn dark grey. His presence had differed greatly from before, especially with the tail now swinging lazily behind him from his back. Naruto frowned, he wanted to dictate a response but there was no time, he had to duck as the beastly form sailed overhead, intent to impale him with one of the four bones sticking out of his back and facing forward. Not wasting a moment Naruto turned and fired sped through hand signs before firing off a jutsu.

" **Futon: Renkudan (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)!"** They weren't very fast, most jonin could dodge them with a decent amount of effort but Kimimaro was in mid turn when they were fired at near point blank range. He avoided the worst of the blows, missing major arteries and organs but the same couldn't be said for the rest of his body. One impacted his left elbow, rendering it completely useless, two more hit his gut, causing some internal bleeding which didn't go well with his already weakened body. The last one was the worst of the bunch, shredding through his femur. He could walk, only thanks to his kekkei genkai but it wasn't anywhere near the running speed he just used.

Naruto stood up, summoning his weapon "I never considered this an easy battle, far from it but that stupid mistake of charging recklessly against me was your fault. An easy opening which I used for a devastating blow. You're better than this, giving into such petty emotions like anger over nothing but a smile."

"I am angered you dare do that on the battlefield. We once stood side by side, as Orochimaru-sama trained us. Now you sit atop, his gaze to you and the Uchiha as I, his faded light, dies in the dark. I am angry, he gave me so much meaning in life only to die here, forgotten by all. However, I won't disappear in such a quite fashion!" The wound in his leg closed as Kimimaro used his curse mark tied to his kekekai genkai to heal the one wound before taking off at full speed once more. Naruto was prepared this time, swinging his blade down to connect with the spiral bone covering Kimimaro's arm.

"You would never be forgotten, not even by Orochimaru of all people. Even though he sees you as nothing but a useless tool, he will remember the strength you carried until your dying breath, and the pride of training someone like you. As I will never forget this fight, nor the boy who held so much hope for the future all those years ago" said Naruto before the bone shattered under the pressure and the blade stuck itself into the ground.

He acted quickly, using it as a grapple to leap forward and deliver a kick that once more send the bone user across the small field. There was no time for stopping and Naruto knew that so he pulled the blade from the earth and began his charge once more. He only made it a few feet before he leaned right, the fist and protruding bone of Kimimaro passing just by him. Then, the dark skinned man bent his elbow, letting his hand face the opposite of Naruto's head before sending a blade of bone out of his elbow and towards Naruto.

The move was fast, much faster than Naruto expected and he knew there was only one option for him left. Kimimaro watched as the blonde narrowed his eyes at the incoming blade point before he simply vanished. This wasn't is signature substitution, or a shunsin, it was much faster, cleaner and quieter than any of those moves. A chakra signature sudden entered from above forcing him to react in hasted, lifting his one good arm ahead to block whatever was falling from above. By the time his arm was above his head and his eyes followed he regretting that move. Naruto was inches from him, his right arm's seal glowing red with the black wrapping long gone.

Red slit eyes met black and gold and for a moment time seemed to slow. Two enemies, intent to kill the other shared a moment of respect. It was a short battle, after all, neither was fond of dragging things out if they could help it. Added to the fact two men of their caliber made a single mistake and they were at a severe disadvantage. Kimimaro had made the first error, and one that cost him dearly. Now, as they made eye contact the two shared nothing between each other but respect. Then, Naruto's fist connected with Kimimaro's arm before the earth buckled under the blow, nearly 50 meters of area cracked and heaved, tree's toppling over from the force the blow created. Near the center, a thin layer of dust clouded around before it slowly began to disappear, revealing Naruto standing in front of Kimimaro who lay motionless on the ground, missing his right arm.

The blond let out a sigh before looking over his body. He had four holes littering his body and a large slash mark going across his chest which tore up his shirt for the most part. Each wound was mostly closed now but the blood was there, on his shirt and still flowing down his body. He grabbed the remaining cloth and ripped it off, seeing the little it covered do nothing useful.

"Using his bones right as I hit to do this much damage. No wonder I had to use one of my trump cards, even if it's unfinished. Let's seal you up, I don't want you to be some plaything for Konoha" said Naruto, taking out a scroll from his back pouch to seal away the man before expanding his senses to find his team still fighting their enemy. He needed to move quick and end that battle, that trump card of his wasn't really ready for battle use and he didn't have long before the side effects kicked in.

With Aki

The brown haired boy sighed, his sword at the ready while he kept a low stance in front of the downed Shino. They, along with Sasuke, were making their way to help Naruto when four people stopped them from trailing the sand siblings. From their short interaction, the four were there to capture Sasuke alive for Orochimaru before meeting up far from the village. Aki initiated the assault, Sasuke acting as back up while Kiyo kept her long range cover. The team they fought had a long range user as well but his range was shorter than Kiyo's, rendering him unable to attack her and allow for a constant support line. Now, things weren't looking so good. Two had fallen, the six armed man took time but with Sasuke's chidori and a well placed stun arrow, he was dispatched. Immediately after the three were covered in some kind of strange marking before they began to easily evade Kiyo's arrows and fight back with ferocity.

Aki could keep up well enough, his speed and blade ran through anything that went for him and allowed him solace in their hesitant attacks. Sasuke and Shino were another issue, Shino had gotten his bugs on the twins, taking one out of commission entirely as Kiyo took care of him but the one that talked originally still moved along with his large teammate and the female genjutsu user. The one left alive took quick revenge, sprouting some kind of metal half before tearing Shino apart faster than he could react. Aki and Sasuke abandoned their own fight with the large Jirobo and Tayuya to beat off Sakon and pull Shino safely behind them.

"You've got a lot of fight shit heads, pity my genjutsu won't get far thanks to that damn sharigan" said Tayuya. Her jutsu affected a lot of things but the sharigan overloaded the brain of the user, allowing them to break through anything that wasn't her summon which she couldn't use in such close quarters with her own teammates.

"Let's just crush them and get the Uchiha now. We can go after that arrow shooting girl in a minute if we move fast enough" said Jirobo, stretching a little to prepare. The rest were following suit, until a figure burst from the forest surrounding them, skidding to a stop in front of Sasuke and Aki.

"Looks like you guys could use some help, ne?" said Naruto, turning to smirk at the two behind him. Aki sighed in relief and Sasuke only returned the smile a little. He could see how the fight was going, Naruto was a warm welcome right now. There was one thing Aki noticed no one else picked up on, the slight shaking of Naruto's hands as he held his weapon.

"How long do you have left?" said Aki, knowing the signs of his trump card and the drawback currently affecting him.

"Thirty minutes without her help, with it, an hour."

"He….he's alive and moving like that?!" shouted Jirobo, all of them knowing who was sent after the blond.

"Kimimaro is dead and there's no reason for you all to fight such a one-sided battle. You're welcome to run back to Orochimaru, actually I'd prefer that. I'd like you to tell him I need to have a chat in a day with him at our old hideout near here. If you could, I'd owe you guys one."

"You think we're some fucking message runner?" growled out Tayuya but she flinched when those blood red eyes locked with her brown ones.

"I'm asking you too, for the sake of your lives. He will spare you only due to the fact I asked to meet with him, per our arrangement. So, you won't die here, like your teammates have. Unless you wish to end your life early, voiding any true purpose you may have had in the future." Tayuya and Jirobo were seriously considering it, the chakra alone was unnerving with its weight and malice. Those half-lidded eyes and massive halberd promised only pain and misery. The fact he took on their strongest member, and former leader, without showing much damage was finalizing their thought process. However, one member of the group wasn't thinking rationally.

"I've lost my brother on this field….and you think…..you dare tell me…..to run away from this! I'LL KILL YOU!" screamed out Sakon, charging the blonde with a kunai in his left hand and his clawed right hand prepared to strike. Naruto made no move to defend himself, and Sakon didn't realize why at first until three arrows hit him, one on his right arm, one through his lung and another into his knee. Too add to the fire Naruto hefted his weapon and aimed it forward, letting the silver hared man impale himself on the spike protruding from the top. Naruto showed no outward emotion as he dropped the now bloody kunai and coughed up blood onto the weapon. In his dying state he tried to use his regular arm to lift himself off the weapon but to no avail, he hadn't the strength to do even that now.

"I had given you the option, which you refused so now you lay there, dying in a foreign land without purpose. That is your choice, foolish ninja and I hope you're proud of it." Naruto stopped speaking and watched as the light left his eyes before leaning his weapon down, allowing the body to slide off before hefting it back onto his shoulder.

He once more looked to the two "The offer for you two still stands, leave and deliver my message or die here."

"We…..we'll deliver it" said Tayuya, doing her best to keep her composure. She'd seen some shit from Orochimaru, some really messed up stuff but seeing someone they spied on earlier go from a happy kid to this…..it was unnerving. Orochimaru just felt wrong, all kinds of wrong but he seemed somewhat normal until that happened. It made her think what else he might be capable of, mainly because he beat Kimimaro.

"Good, and I would like you both to accompany him when we meet. Add that too the message, so let him know to meet me at the old hideout with you two tomorrow night. See ya." The second he finished the two nodded their heads and disappeared, shattering the tree branches they stood on from the speed the moved at to get away from the blond. Once the signatures were far enough away Naruto turned fully to his teammates as Kiyo arrived from behind and began to look over Shino.

"He's unconscious and a little beaten up but otherwise he'll be fine" said Aki to Kiyo who nodded her head and tossed his arm over her shoulder. She usually carried the injured, her bow not helping much in a short range field they'd be traveling in. Naruto suddenly turned on heel and thrust his left hand out before the seals slithered off of his arm, covering 10 meters in front of them with seals. A moment later a barrage of weapons hit, kunai shuriken, windmill shuriken, spears, arrows and even a few were tagged that exploded once hitting. It was an onslaught for a few second with varying projectiles before it stopped and the seals snaked back onto Naruto's arms. He hadn't expected to have to use that here, it was his only use the seals had, creating a barrier just as strong as his punches. There were only a handful of times he'd even used it but he sensed what was coming and Naruto knew there was going to be more need for them in a moment. For a moment later nearly three dozen Oto shinobi appeared from the tree line, creating a U shaped barrier of bodies. As they all arrived one man dropped, an obvious Oto jonin commander by the means of his gear.

"Seems you kids strayed a little too far from the pack, or should I call you kids? We had some serious chakra output going on around here and I'd guess it's you, boy" said the jonin commander, taking a few steps forward.

"There's no real reason to get acquainted with you, seeing as you won't be alive in a few more seconds." A look of confusion set in his face, not comprehending how he'd be dead with so many men around him. That was until the forest around them was lit ablaze with fire and a deadly cold katana pierced his heart. As the men that once formed around them were burning to a crisp the commander fell, confusion still set in his face, revealing the wielder of the katana to be Hyogaki. Not a moment later Kurai landed next to her.

"Nice to see you hold up your end of the bargain" said Naruto, facing off against the two. His friends behind him could feel the tension in the air, the chakra rising ever so slightly from the three.

"Itachi isn't here this time" responded Hyogaki. Her katana stayed at the ready while Kana stayed back a few feet, relaxed but prepared to strike if need be.

"Would you really strike me like this, in such a one sided and ill-mannered way?"

"I saw you fight recently, you aren't some defenseless child. I doubt it would go smoothly but we would come out on top regardless."

Naruto smirked "Is that so?" As if on cue, the legendary Jiraiya of the Sanin dropped from above and landed next to the blonde.

"Nice timing, perv."

"I'll leave you too the wolves you keep calling me that" said the white haired man with a smile. The instant he dropped Naruto noticed the two flinch for a multitude of reasons, a few being this was Jiraiya. He was famed for his power, a legend at that and not one anyone besides a kage level ninja would dare attack. It was also obvious they never sensed him, even Naruto only noticed him when he appeared above. He was a pervert but he was a stealthy pervert, which kind of went with the pervert part.

"Still wanna dance, _Takako-chan?_ " asked Naruto and the armored samurai grabbed her sword tightly. Now she was considering it, only her master and Kurai knew of her name. She stopped herself though when she glanced to the sanin, his presence alone was unnerving for her. After all, she'd seen him fight once when a fight broke out between some Konoha shinobi and some Kiri ninja a few years back. She was escorting a client and pulled them aside, letting the shinobi pass before moving on. Half a mile down the road she saw signs of a battle at the bottom of the hill they were on. It was during that ambush the sanin appeared from farther down the way, easily handling over two dozen men without a scratch to show for it. No, fighting would be unwise for them.

"One day you won't have the protection of a high caliber ninja. When that day comes and we meet, I will show you just how I got my name." The two turned to Jiraiya and bowed their heads, simply a sign of respect, which was returned, before they took off once more.

"I guess the fights mostly over if you're here" said Naruto.

"Yeah, the rest of the ninja and mercenaries nearby are either scanning for stragglers like this pack or helping clean up. Looks like you got quite a bit of action too and I hope you did more damage than you took."

The blonde scoffed "Of course, but why'd you come to me specifically? You know what happened with the third, so there's a reason I'm your first stop."

Jiraiya sighed "Straight to the point, like usual. Well, a little backstories needed here. Hiruzen had a inkling this was coming, his death by someone's hands within the near future. We spoke of it a few weeks ago and I already laid some things out in case….he did pass as he has. I know it's not your home anymore but the village needs a new kage. Tsunade is the first choice, and frankly the best choice we have right now so I was going to see if you wanted to tag along, knowing how you spoke of wanting to meet her at some point. That and it'd help getting in good with a future kage of a village for alliance purposes." Naruto looked to the sage, he knew so much more than his teammates and the game he was playing right now was one only Naruto himself dare play. It was a game of power in a global scale. Jiraiya knew of his plan with Pein after all, knew of his future work already being laid out as they spoke and was willing to push it along. Sometimes he was happy to have a godfather like this, sometimes.

"Yeah, that's fine but I'll need to speak to my sensei and go over with my team about what happens after this. We'll speak tomorrow morning."

"Alright, I'll see you soon kid" and with that he was gone in a swirl of leaves.

"Go ahead of me guys, I need to take care of something before returning. I'll meet you at the apartment in bit."

They didn't question his order, knowing already what he was most likely needing to do. Sasuke certainly didn't and was adamant to stay.

"Let him, you two go ahead."

"Be careful" said Aki just before leading Kiyo off into the woods.

"I know you already met with Itachi, he spoke of it just after the second stage ended so why did you agree to help when there wasn't anything to gain?" asked Naruto.

"I wanted to see him again, and this was the easiest and best way to assure that. He's my brother, after everything he's family still, and I want to enjoy his company as much as I can. As well as I knew you needed help chasing that crazy sand trio, and Kakashi would have most likely send me anyway."

The blonde chuckled "I figured as much but I appreciate the help. It wasn't easy when those sound four arrived."

"So, Sasuke did help as you said he would" said Kona as she walked out of the tree line with Itachi.

"He's mainly here to see Itachi. Why don't you two go talk somewhere else, brother time?" said Naruto with a little smile but Itachi knew better. He needed to talk business and Sasuke wasn't currently in it.

"Very well, follow me" said Itachi, moving farther away with Sasuke following suit. Konan walked closer, checking him over and already picking out he was running solely off of Hitome's chakra.

"Got pretty serious if you had to use your trump card" said Kona.

"Kimimaro was no easy task, he knew he was dying and wasted no time in trying to get rid of me as quickly as he could. I just followed suit."

"Good, so what's the situation? We only just arrived here a moment ago so we haven't surveyed anything."

"Gaara seems stable after the fight, Hiruzen is dead and I have a meeting with Orochimaru tomorrow where I'm going to speak to him on his future plans as well as the offer we have. How are things with the others and Pein?"

"The others are ok, we haven't spoken to Kisame yet and Itachi seems to believe it's unwise. His methods and beliefs don't coincide with our own and would only damage the group should we inform him of it. Kakuzu wishes to go solo, gathering money and such but he's willing to work under Pein in Ame should things go smoothly. I've been talking more and more with Nagato, opening his eyes to 'Madara's' doings and they appear to be working quite well. A few more pushes and it should all be ok but I won't do anything until after we can all face him in person. The clock is ticking though, we don't have long till he reverts back to his usual vision when he meets with Obito in a month."

"Let the others know we'll meet in three weeks at our rendezvous before speaking to Nagato. After that, no matter how it goes, we'll move on with the plan. I want everything settled and done quickly, before 'Madara' or Zetsu catches on. We'll just leave Kisame out of it all, better to leave him be than to do anything else and risk slipping up."

"Alright, do you need company for Orochimaru?"

"If you two could meet me there, I'd appreciate it a lot. I don't' take my chanced with that sanin, he's a snake for a reason."

"Roger, we'll see you at the safe house in a few days then." With the business over with Konan disappeared in a swirl of paper and Naruto let out a sigh.

" _ **You've got another fifteen minutes. Better head off now before your body shuts down. You really need to fix that issue, having that jutsu force your body to nearly go into a full shut down isn't helpful during a fight or if you need to use it more than once."**_

" _ **I know, I didn't have the time to work on it much but I'll put more focus into it in the coming months. I'll speak to you tomorrow, I'll just crash as soon as I get the apartment anyway."**_

" _ **Be safe."**_

" _ **Yes ma'am."**_

 **There you have it, chapter 6 is done and over with. It's a little longer than normal but I got everything I wanted in this one. I'm slowly building up the story I've wanted to write for a few years now but never quite had a full premise laid until recently. It's an interesting thing and I'm doing a little research into some anime only places and far out, lesser known, locations to bring different elements into the story. Quite a bit of OC characters will be involved in some since a few villages exist are only mentioned in the manga or anime and nothing else is spoke of besides so I'm giving myself a lot of play room to make it exciting. College is starting back up soon so I usually pick up writing more once I get into it so expect more updates in the coming months. Take it easy guys and girls, peace.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello and welcome to my humble story. Starting off, I'm answering a few PM's that basically stated the same thing. Why would Pein, the ruler of Ame, be ok with all the stuff Naruto's doing? He wouldn't, but it seems like Konan was used to run the show in Ame so she has control over his happenings and all ninja affairs. With that said, she can keep a few things from him and she's focused on fixing PR relations with other nations to keep them out of the bad light. No beta at the moment so expect grammar errors, sorry my friends.**

 _'Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world'~ Harriet Tubman_

 **This is a joint quote for the double upload of chapters 7-8.**

Chapter 7

Ren sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day as he listened to the complaints about his placement of a few boxes. He had gotten a letter from his higher ups to help Konoha, try to make a good image on Ame while they could. It wasn't known for much, and being nice or friendly certainly wasn't one of them. This was a good chance for them to get some PR relations and his team was right in the thick of it. Now here he was, helping some civilians move some medical supplies from storage into the main hospital wing.

"Sensei!" shouted Kiyo walking up to him with Aki in tow.

"What is it?"

"Naruto's been asked by Jiraiya-sama to go on a short trip for some help finding his teammate Tsunade. He wanted to know what your opinion on it was."

"If it's Jiraiya-sama it's best he go, helping a Sanin would be very beneficial for us. Aki, if you wouldn't mind staying here to help with the moving like you have been while Kiyo accompanies him."

"That's fine sensei" said Aki, Kiyo only nodded her head in response.

"Alright, I'll see you later then Kiyo. Be careful and watch out around you, Jiraiya might attract more enemies than we would normally."

"I will, thank you sensei" said the white haired woman with a bow before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

With Naruto

"You don't look like total shit, what a surprise" said Jiraiya, seeing Naruto arrive, his arms wrapped up in medical tape, plain black pants with white high-top boots, a plain royal purple t-shirt with a gold Uzu swirl on the back on since his was torn the day before.

"I have a certain someone to thank for that" said Naruto, the sage knowing exactly who he was talking about.

"I hope she can handle all your problems" said Kiyo as she appeared next to him in a shunshin.

"I hope she's pretty."

"I hope you kneel over and die."

"So cruel!" shouted Jiraiya, attracting the attention of some passing people before he composed himself.

"We're off to Tanzaku Quarters where she was just seen a few days ago by a source. She doesn't stay long and I'm sure she'll be on the move once she senses us approaching so let's make ground now" said Jiraiya, the two agreeing with him before following his route through the forest. Normally, this wouldn't be a rushing moment but with so much going on right now Jiraiya had to make sure this was taken care of quickly. Naruto had also spoken to him briefly before, mentioning his meeting with Orochimaru and the issue with Pein shifting to their favor much faster than expected.

The next day, Noon

The three ninja were overlooking the bustling town from the tree tops surrounding the gambling town.

"There's a festival currently going on right now so it's pretty busy. Sensing from a distance isn't my strong suit so this might take a while" said the sanin before Kiyo pointed forward, right towards a food shop at the edge of the entrance.

"Someone with a high chakra signature is in there."

"I really hope it's her" said Naruto not wanting a run in with some powerful ninja. Itachi and Konan aren't that close so if it got ugly they'd only be reliant on Jiraiya and himself.

"I'll go in first, you two post up on the roof across the street in case she runs off." He gave no time to respond before jumping down and heading into the town.

"I'll go grab some snacks if you want to wait for me over where he said to" said Naruto. Kiyo nodded her head and the two disappeared, heading off just as Jiraiya entered the shop. Kiyo sat down and watched, listening for any fights as well as any chakra pulses from the surrounding area. It wouldn't do if someone after Jiraiya went through them while their guard was down. She kept her spot, unmoving with a knee close to her chest and another hanging off the roof for a few minutes until Naruto arrived with green tea and teriyaki chicken on a stick.

"Thank you" said the woman as Naruto sat down next to her, letting his feet hang off the edge as he overlooked the food shop.

"How's it been?"

"Nothing so far, no noises, no movement or chakra spikes."

"Hmmm, I think that's good" said Naruto, munching down on his chicken. Kiyo finished her first one quickly and moved to grab her second only to feel nothing on her left leg. She turned and almost screamed when she noticed the silver haired man sitting next to her, eating her chicken as he looked down at the shop.

He seemed to notice her starring and turned "Whatcha want girly?"

Kiyo shook off her momentary shock and spoke "That was my chicken, Hidan."

"So? Mine now if you can't tell."

"Don't be rude to ladies, fool. That's why you can't ever find one that likes you" said Kakuzu, setting down a small plate full of more chicken. Kiyo looked to Kakuzu and smiled, giving him her thanks before grabbing another piece. Kakuzu nodded his head in return and stood next to Naruto who had yet to say anything.

"You're mad, aren't you?" said Hidan, leaning forward to look at Naruto.

"No."

"He's mad" said Kiyo and Hidan nodded his head as he looked at her.

"I'm not mad, I just want to know why you two are even out here. Konan and Itachi should be the only ones near here" said Naruto, drinking some of his tea.

"After a bounty that seems to elude us more than we'd like to admit. She's seemed to stop here but we lost her a moment ago then we found you guys. What are you doing hanging around Jiraiya?" asked Kakuzu.

"He's looking for a new kage, Tsunade is their current goal. He wants me along since he things I might be able to talk more sense into her than him. After all, sometimes it takes a new face to give you that push to get moving" responded the blonde right before they heard a commotion in the bar.

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH JIRAIYA!" shouted a female that was accompanied by rumble before Jiraiya slammed into the building they were all on.

"Kiyo, stay with him. You two know what to do" said Naruto taking a stick of chicken and his tea as he jumped down and walked forward. He was quickly in the sights of Tsunade and her assistant Shizune who was clutching a shivering Ton Ton.

"Hello, how are you Tsunade?" asked Naruto casually, standing around the scattered broken wooden table she broke hitting Jiraiya.

"Fine brat, he bring you to try and sucker me with old memories?" asked Tsunade, already past the point of calm conversation.

Naruto titled his head "Why would me being here deal with old memories? I've never met you in my life, _Godmother."_ Tsunade narrowed her eyes, he wasn't acting like any normal genin would, even Orochimaru wasn't that brash with his taunts in his youth. He was playing at something and she wanted no part in it.

"Just forget it and move, I'm done talking to that fool and his stupid proposal to waste my time in that shit hole." Tsunade moved to walking past him but he held his tea out to her.

"A peace offering, I was wondering if we could talk for a little bit. I wanted to hear your side, I'm not looking make an offer but see your point of view" said Naruto with a smile. Tsunade was at his side now, both now standing just outside the restaurant as Kiyo helped Jiraiya to his feet, more stunned than injured.

"I don't know what game you're going at but knock it off. I don't give a shit about you, him or that village that only brought pain to me. So, unless you want to meet the wall like your sensei brat, piss off like a good little genin." Tsunade was around a head taller than him so she was using her height to intimidate him but he wasn't deterred. He stood his ground and looked her right in the eye, his blue eyes now iced over as he matched her glare with his own.

"If you want some sparring match I'll be glad to show you how all these years of drinking on the run have caused such havoc on your skills, Tsunade" said Naruto which certainly surprised the blonde at first. She didn't expect it but in her slightly drunken state she took it in stride.

"Pretty big talk kid but I guess I can spare a few second you put you down just like Jiraiya" said Tsunade, ignoring Shizune's words of discouragement. As the two took up side along the empty street the medic ran to Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama, please stop this!"

"Leave it be Shizune, just let things play out. I'll step in if it gets ugly" said Jiraiya in an assuring tone before focusing on the two. _'Tsunade may have been out of practice but she's still a sanin, no matter what. It doesn't help that Naruto's obviously still recovering and his chakra pool is just starting to recover. He better know what he's doing.'_

' _The hell is this kids problem? He doesn't stand to gain anything but prove he can fight. Stupid kids these days'_ thought the legendary medic before Naruto finished his tea and tossed the cup away.

"Let's place a bet, Senju. You win, I'll make sure Jiraiya and anyone else with Konoha never both you again. If I win, you come back for a minimum of one year as kage, at the end of that year you can chose to leave or stay in whatever position is available."

The woman rested a hand on her hip "I don't stand to gain much with that deal compared to you. So n-"

"Also, if I lose I will personally pay off all your debts right here and now, as long as I'm awake of course." That got the attention he was looking for.

She smirked "Alright, I guess we can make a fool's deal and I'll thrown in my necklace too since you are near paying the worth of it in my debts." She planned to only use her first finger but the money at stake here was too much to pass up, no matter that it was a genin she was fighting.

"Sound's fine to me, do we have a deal then?" asked Naruto, holding his right hand up and she mimicked.

"That's a deal, brat. What's the rules for this fight? First blood or call out submission?"

"Jiraiya will call the winner if it gets bad but besides that it can be call out submission."

"Fair enough, start when you're ready then." A moment later she tilted her head when a bamboo stick flew just passed where her eye once was. She quickly jumped back, avoiding the axe kick from the blonde. Seeing him close and open she swung her right fist into his gut intent to make it a quick match but shattered a log instead.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes _'That was way faster than any regular kid could do.'_ Immediately after he substituted Tsunade felt a palm strike her back and skid her across the street. She quickly swung her foot backwards high into the air, feeling it connect to an arm before she spun to face the blonde who just landed back down from the kick.

"You aren't as rusty as I thought but you aren't all that either" said Naruto with a smirk.

"Big talk for someone that barely landed a palm strike. I only need to land one hit and you won't be smirking anymore." Her opponent said nothing but motioned for her to come, the smirk never leaving his face. In her drunken state she seethed at the taunt before thundering down the street at him, adding so much force into each step that the ground cracked each time. Tsunade cocked her fist back as she neared and paid no heed to his own actions while he neared before she swung. She was sober enough to be careful to not use her full power but adding enough to teach him a lesson. Her smirk fell when she felt the jar of a fist impacting her own and frowned when she noticed her forward motion had stopped completely.

Now, as the dust from the blow had settled she could see Naruto, his smirk never fading as she followed his bandaged right arm that met her own fist in an equal display of strength. In that moment Tsunade saw something she just chalked up to the alcohol in her but the scene around them changed. She was much younger, back before the third shinobi war when she was just making a name for herself. Standing in front of her, just as Naruto had, was a red headed teen that defied what she thought. One of her strongest punches was stopped by the girls own, a smirk plastered on her face as well.

Then, in tandem they both spoke "That was very disappointing, ya know."

Jiraiya sighed from afar "I swear, he's just like his mother." Kiyo looked to him with a knowing look and he smiled.

"In more ways than one but she didn't have all those markings like he did." _'His is much more complex, possibly to due his seal allowing more chakra than Kushina's had.'_ Tsunade was stuck in her memories and never noticed Naruto move until she kneeled over from a ruthless gut punch.

"Not sure what has you all dazed off but that's not something to do in a battle" said Naruto, stepping back slightly. He was confident in his speed but she was a sanin and took every precaution in case she retaliated quicker than expected. So he watched from a few feet away as she was brought back to reality, the blow forcing her body to cough up some fluids onto the ground. The blonde tried to stand, slowly getting to her feet and wiping her mouth before looking at her hand and seeing the smeared blood she had just vomited. The sight made her fall once more and seize up as her body began to seize up.

"The world's greatest medic and strongest woman reduced to such a sight not by the death of children, the destruction of her village or the killing of her sensei; the sight of blood causing such reaction on you is frankly disgusting. Nonetheless, I am not here to judge your pitiful existence." Naruto pulled a kunai from his holster and held it at her.

"Do you concede defeat?" Tsunade's hand kept shaking, as she looked to him, her eyes hazy as she seemed to try to understand his words but her mind was shaken. The faces of her deceased loved one's blood staining her hands.

" _ **Her mind is scarred, remember the story Jiraiya spoke about. I'm sure she's suffering from PTSD so your words won't register fully to her."**_

" _ **I'll just have to try harder to reach through that block. She deserves more than to wither away like she is now."**_

"To see someone so headstrong and powerful as yourself reduced by the mere sight of blood. The brain is a complex organ, traumatic experiences made you what you are now, a shell of your former self. It's time you got over this hill Tsunade. It's time to move past it." Those words seemed to make something click in her mind and she stood abruptly, now standing at full attention in front of him.

"You know nothing about my life, only whatever half bit story that pervert told you! I tried to look past it, I did everything I could when my little brother died! Left and right, I lost friends and soon enough my own love died before my eyes and all my medical skills did nothing to save him! Me, a legendary medical ninja left powerless! I left the village after that because I had nothing left, no one to turn to! NO ONE, YOU SHELTERED BRAT! YOU LOST YOUR PARENTS BEFORE YOU WERE BORN SO YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT LOSING LOVED ONES RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES! NO-" Tsunade was cut short when she felt the killing intent surge from Naruto. The sheer amount made her slide into a sloppy defensive stance as he too stood too his full height, facing her off directly unlike before. His soft blue eyes now blazing red as the sun started to set behind him.

"How dare you say that?" growled out Naruto "How dare you say you have no one with Shizune right here. She kept with you, watched over you, and catered to your every whim while she got nothing in return." Tsunade looked to apprentice who looked away, doing her best to stay composed and ignoring even looking at the blonde medic. "As for your last comment that's correct, I don't know the pain of losing family but I have lost a friend before. I'm positive I wouldn't stoop to your level, since I didn't have a sheltered life as you had being the granddaughter of the legendary First Hokage. I struggled for what I have now, gripped and clawed to gain power, made the best of those around me that gave two shits for my wellbeing and I look after them just as much. I calculated all my moves to ensure nothing was lost, watched, and learned from those around me so I would one day become stronger than them. You are a pitiful woman, Tsunade Senju, a pitiful and disgusting woman who thinks nothing about others and only about yourself." Tsunade looked away from her assistant and her rage boiled as she locked eyes once more with Naruto.

"I've heard enough of this! I won't be lectured by someone decades younger than me about things he knows nothing about. I'm ready to go sleep off this hangover. Are we going to finish this fight or what?"

"Are you going to hold your end of the bargain if you lose? Your word seems to have very little meaning behind it." Tsunade took the necklace she wore off and tossed it to Jiraiya.

"I swear on the necklace of my grandfather, Hashirama Senju, and his good name that I will uphold my deal."

Naruto began to tear the wrapping off his arms and stretched a little "I swear on my family name I will uphold my end of the deal. Let's get this over with, I have more than a bratty woman to tend to today."

Jiraiya kept quiet as the two faced off but his mind was racing _'Things might get out of hand now that they're both taking this fight seriously. Naruto doesn't have much on the line, money isn't anything he's hurting for. Tsunade has her freedom on the line. She has an advantage with her experience but Naruto's way of fighting is dangerous for her. He can combat her strength and speed since she's slowed without training. His best factor is he adapts as he fights, changing his attack pattern on strong opponents to confuse and Tsunade is the best match for that. I'll need to watch closely, it may go too far soon.'_

"Move then!" shouted Tsunade before she brought a fist up to block his fist. The force behind it told her he wasn't playing around, his punches held just as much weight as her own did but that didn't deter her. She swung wide with all her might and Naruto ducked easily before his right hand moved up through her guard, connecting fully to her chin. The blow jarred her as it lifted her off the ground from the sheer power alone behind it. Following through he spun on his foot and sent a chakra enhanced kick to her gut with enough force that sent her outside the town and into the empty field around it.

The medic flipped in the air and slammed her feet down, coming to a quick stop as Naruto moved after her. Already expecting this she hit the ground hard and obstructing his path, causing him to slip up and misstep. That single misstep left an opening for the sanin who shifted her weight and swung her leg out, connecting with his back and rolling him across the field. Naruto felt the searing pain of the kick and felt his shoulder blade crack under the force of her powerful kick before he was skidding around the field. He found his footing and jumped up on his feet only to get a fist right to his face. As Tsunade reared a leg back and sent it into his stomach she only made contact with wood.

"Damn substitutions still fast" said the medic, scanning for him around the area only to get hit with a massive force of wind against her back quickly followed by a brutal right hook against her cheek that send her stumbling backwards. Naruto took a few steps back and held his hands at the ready while the medic seemed to hold her cheek a few meters away from him. His shoulder and nose were already repaired thanks to his tenant but the blood on his face from the broken nose was still present. Tsunade slowly regained her composer and faced him again, showing that she had used her mystic palm technique to heal her cheek already.

"That was a fast heal, no wonder you're so famous" said Naruto with a smirk, a little bit of blood showing on his teeth and Tsunade returned the smirk.

"Not a bad nose repair either" said Tsunade cracking her knuckles as the others appeared a distance away.

"Those two seem to be warming up to each other after exchanging some punches" said Kiyo.

"Tsunade only really listened to someone on equal or higher standing than her, it's just in her nature. Naruto's showing he can hold his own against her and she's doesn't take that lightly no matter what condition she's in" said Shizune, still frowning from before. Just as Shizune said that Naruto disappeared in a substitution seemingly at random, appearing behind Tsunade that saw through the rouse quickly and sent a foot out behind her. The heel of her foot connected with his chest but lacked power and only succeeded in making him wobble a few steps backwards in the cracked ground. She spun quickly and thrust her right hand forward but Naruto was already in motion, meeting her fist with his own. The two met in a power struggle, both having added a lot of chakra behind the blow which left them locked, seeing who would cave first. After a few second the two jumped back, making a small bit of distance between each other.

"I'll admit it, I was wrong about you at first. You got quite a punch and you aren't just a fresh brat trying to save face after talking shit."

"I'd say the same but your actions and words before leave me at a loss for much of a kind statement towards you" said Naruto and Tsunade shrugged.

"You're still a shitty brat though. How about we make this the final hit, whoever falls here is down and out permanently" said Tsunade, rubbing her fist in anticipation.

"A game of chicken, huh? Alright, fine be me." The two never said a word after or even slid into a stance, they simple charged at one another in a flash of speed. A moment later Naruto was standing sideways, his knees bent and his right elbow extending as Tsunade fell to the ground, out cold. Only Jiraiya could fully follow what happened, Kiyo and Shizune seeing only blurs at the speed they moved between a sanin full speed and Naruto's chakra enhanced moves. Just as the two were about to connect fist to chin Naruto turned his right foot and slammed the second one down, stopping his forward movement and moving his right just slightly to avoid the fist. While he did that he tucked in his fist and propelled all the force into his elbow, brining it around straight into the medics temple. The force alone was unneeded, he aimed for an easy knock out point which secured him a win he was sure she would have gotten had he kept his face off. Her reach was greater than his after all.

Naruto let out a sigh and stood back up as Shizune moved to check on her master's condition. No matter the harsh words said she was her master nonetheless.

"She's just gonna be out for a bit, partly cause of all that alcohol. Kinda thankful she had all that, I'm more afraid of how bad it'd be to fight her sober and in top condition" said Naruto with a little laugh, rubbing the back of his head. He was far from a fool, he wouldn't have even attempted a mostly taijutsu based fight against her if he didn't have somewhat of a handicap.

"Thank you" said Shizune, catching him off guard.

"For?"

"That fight may have knocked some sense into her but that bet she lost may help her more than she's willing to admit. I hope it does, for her sake."

"Yeah, me too" said Naruto with a small smile before looking at the sky to see the sun had now fully set and the moon hung in the sky.

"Kiyo, can you help Jiraiya get Tsunade home? I need to go take care of something. I'll meet you at the hotel near the edge of town in a few hours" said Naruto, both Kiyo and Jiraiya knowing where he was headed too but there was no worry involved. The two accompanying him were plenty of a safe guard for him and left no reason for them to be concerned for his wellbeing even though he looked exhausted.

"Of course, just hurry back. You know it's tough for me to sleep when I'm waiting on you to get back."

"I'll be quick" and with that he disappeared in a burst of speed.

A moment later Shizune's yell could be heard through the surrounding area "Keep your grabby hands to yourself!"

A few minutes later

Naruto arrived at the hideout and stopped before grabbing the door, hesitating a little.

" _ **What's wrong?"**_ asked Hitome.

" _ **One, I'm late which I hate. Two, I'm exhausted between not getting any decent rest since the invasion and the fight I just had with Tsunade. My bodies feeling it and I'm relying on your chakra to keep me moving properly right now. Orochimaru will spot this out and it'll only make things harder to negotiate."**_

" _ **Then use my chakra to your advantage. Intimidate, let your presence scream worry for his companions and don't give in an inch during the conversation. You've negotiated in worse conditions with Itachi. I'm always here to help and you know that. I'm sure it'll be, especially in such a calm situation like this. Once you're done we can rest together."**_ Naruto really wanted to slap himself at that moment, he prided himself on his own knowledge but she states such obvious things that easily brought him back to reality.

" _ **That sounds nice, thank you Hitome-chan. I'll see you soon"**_ said Naruto with a smile before opening the door to the small two-story house far in the woods outside the town he was just in. He closed the door and bit his thumb then pressed it on the door, watching as seals lit up on it and ran across the house, sealing it effectively from most threats presented as well as keeping all sound within the walls.

"It's nice seeing you again" said Konan, walking from the room next to the entrance way and giving him a quickly hug which he returned. The two had grown close during their training, acting somewhat of a big sister as Itachi seemed to be his own brother figure next to her. Those two had helped and impacted his young life the most out of the Akatsuki, teaching him more than the others and visiting a lot during the times they weren't supposed to be. That was which led them where they were on their current mission to make the world a better place. Their first step, finish creating a group that would do just that before speaking together to Nagato at the tree where he rested. However, that was a later mission. He had Orochimaru to focus on first and foremost.

"Where is Itachi?"

"In the room with Orochimaru and his guards" said Konan as they walked through the entrance way and into a room that looked like part kitchen and dining room. Across the way was a door that was Naruto knew where the last sanin was.

As they made it across the room Naruto spoke again "How many guards?"

"Three, the two you requested to come and Kabuto of course. Orochimaru is severely injured, the sealing of his arms is taking a large toll on him so we can use that to our advantage too."

"I know, I plan to. Let's just get this over with so I can rest. I'm ready for a good night's sleep" said Naruto as he opened the door and walked into the small room where only a single table resided. On one side Naruto saw Itachi standing near the table, a chair next to him. On the other Orochimaru sat, Kabuto to his right and the remaining Sound Four behind them. They seemed quite nervous, even Kabuto was on edge facing off against the feared Itachi. Konan didn't help the mix and Naruto's appearance added more edge with it enhanced under Hitome's chakra. Orochimaru truly did look worse than Naruto, much worse than the blonde expected. His arms were heavily taped up, his face showed his discomfort and being in the room he was in now wasn't doing him a single favor.

"How nice of you to final arrive. I was beginning to fear the worst had happened" smiled the snake, keeping his composure under the roughness of his sickly voice.

"It took a little longer to get here and I came a little brawl with Tsunade which certainly didn't help my situation" said Naruto, seeing Orochimaru twitch a little. Ah, he has planned to speak to the medic first before Naruto got to her.

" _ **I'm sure it was to strike a deal with his arms, get them healed for some kind of twisted token only he would offer."**_

" _ **Of course, but that's out the window now. We already have a chip in and we barely met again."**_

"I see, how was that? She's always been one for the dramatic, and her temper is well known through the nations."

Naruto huffed "She's very difficult to work with, or persuade, or really anything. I couldn't even speak normally without her getting upset. Albeit, she was drunk but still completely uncooperative at all. I don't know how you put up with that for so long."

"She was quite a bit to deal with but she was a great medic and a strong teammate." Naruto noticed how he talked of her, there was some fondness in his tone which meant he wasn't completely cut off from the heart. He had it, it just chose to keep lingering feelings as sentiment rather than bonds. Of course, Naruto already assumed this but hearing and see it was different. Especially when Tsunade was currently closer to Naruto then Orochimaru for the time being. The snake knew that as well, he was sure of it.

"I can see that, sad it's wasted with how she is now."

"What have you called me here for, boy? I am a busy man after all" said the Sanin but everyone in the room knew the truth. He was ill and this kind of situation didn't help him any.

"Of course, aren't we all? I'll ask my questions first then let you ask your own. To be blunt, I want to extent an invite to join us."

"The Akatsuki? I didn't think you were foolish enough to off-"

"The invite has nothing to do with that group. You know that, Orochimaru" said Itachi, speaking for the first time since Naruto arrived. The moment he spoke Tayuya and Jirobo flinched, so on edge just his voice made them react too quickly.

"Kukuku I truly don't. I've been a little busy for the invasion and now you can see I haven't had time to keep up with your happenings." Naruto held a hand up, stopping him from continuing.

"Our new group is centered around fixing the elemental nations innerworkings before moving to a better relationship for all. First off…"

With Jiraiya 

The white haired sanin moved his attention from the coffee in his hand to Tsunade that had just begun to stir in the bed across the room. She groaned loudly, holding her head as she sat up and looked around groggily, spotting him rather quickly before adding a glare.

"Where am I and why are you in my room?"

"You're in a room I rented and I'm in here because I was waiting till you got up. I figured you'd have some questions after fighting him. You read my letter didn't you?" The medic grunted in acknowledgement, sliding her legs over the edge of the bed and grabbing the warm coffee next to it.

"I'm not much of a coffee drinker and you know that."

"My special mix" said Jiraiya and she immediately knew what was in it. He made it some time ago for hangovers and even she couldn't find a way to recreate it like he did. As he took a sip of his own Tsunade spoke while grabbing for the drink.

"I won't go back on what I said, Jiraiya. You're here to make sure I don't run, I won't run. There's nowhere to run and I said enough yesterday to wish I was dead. Is Shizune still upset with me?"

"I believe her lack of presence is enough of an answer." She took a few sips of her drink and placed it in her lap, regretting most of her action from the night before.

"She'll get over it one day and I'm sure she'll continue her path with you but there's nothing to be said about her attitude for a while. She seemed more upset than I've ever seen her in all the years I've known her, which says a lot when it's your assistant."

Tsunade sighed "Let's focus on something else besides something that I already know about. That blonde, Naruto, the hell is up with him? Why'd he fight me with a bet like that? Where's his reason for doing something for the village when he doesn't even wear a headband for it?"

"In short, he's playing a global scale game with the goal to fix what he sees wrong in it."

"Huh?" Tsunade's dumbfounded look made Jiraiya laugh a little which only angered her before he elaborated.

"He's spent a lot of his childhood traveling with S rank criminals that showed him the worst and best the world has to offer. In that, he's pieced apart the current system and plans to recreate it into something that would work better than the one now. It's a little hard to explain but there's a baseline I can tell you without getting crazy. Initial this group he's creating is meant to establish a name as the saviors for the anyone under those who abuse their power and money. Once a name is created, the foundation is built. From there he plans to begin taking political and military matters into his groups hands. Small wars from minor villages, helping with policing smaller nations that the Great Five usually ignore. Weed his way into the hearts of the people who need it most then once that's done, he needs to show the Five his group isn't just a one trick horse like the Akatsuki.

They were limited to a single goal, gather the bijuu and some were bounty hunting for money. This group will do as I said before as well as regular escorts, diplomatic assignments and whatever else tasked. After they have been cemented far enough where there taken seriously it's a matter of time before they take a step to the next level which directly challenged the hierarchy the Five use. From there, it's a matter of who sides with him and how he plays his cards against the nation."

"He's on a suicide pact, along with whoever else joins him. One group against the entire world? That won't do anything but spell a death wish" said Tsunade, now somewhat concerned for Jiraiya. He seemed to endorse it, which meant he may be more involved than she thought.

"I'm not sure, I'm kinda making a guess here off of what I know from the bits Naruto speaks about. I'm not involved with it whatsoever and I don't intend to get into that. It's his path and what I do know in detail from him makes me support him. That's what godparent's do after all" said Jiraiya with a huge grin.

"I don't know what you know in detail and frankly, I don't want to know either. That brat thinks he can just go around challenging the order of the world like that then by all means let him. I won't be there to help him when he's dying at my doorstep."

"I don't expect anything from you but I hope that, for your sake, your attitude changes. One day you might not be sparring with him but in a real battle against someone only wishing to see the world as a better place. You and I both know the corruptness of the upper class and those in power, we've tried to fix it before, when we were younger."

Tsunade sighed and stood "Those days come and go, we aged and realized our foolish ideas won't do anything but get us killed, or others. I'm willing to be the Hokage and do what I can to uphold sensei's ideals but I know in that position there are boundaries. I can't go telling other nations off as I please, inciting a war isn't how things are done."

Jiraiya stood as she did "True but there in itself is the solution. You can't, your title won't allow you without creating another world war but he can. He's not some stupid kid, he's far from it. Honestly, he's like if Minato and Kushina were more calculating and had even more powerful friends."

"A calculating child of those two? I can feel the headache I'm going to get from this and he's not even a part of my own damn village."

"You're village?"

"Shut it." Her only response was the hearty laugh of the white haired man.

"Let me ask one more thing. Why did he only fight me using almost only taijutsu?"

"To prove to you he can compete with your own fighting style as well as keep it a little less deadly. It would have been different if he threw around jutsu and used his main weapon. He also meant to cure your blood phobia which seemed to work, something I didn't expect."

"Let's not bring it up again, I'm still working around that one."

"Fair enough, now enough of this boring chatter. Let's get some dinner!"

In the room down the hall, Shizune and Kiyo

Kiyo had long gone to sleep, having kept moving for a while and still exhausted from the invasion made her body crave sleep. Shizune shut the door left open to the teens room before entering the small living room and looking to the new figure sitting in a chair across form her.

"I'm glad you seem well, Shizune."

"I'm far from it Konan" responded the medic grabbing a glass of water and sitting down next to her.

"Naruto didn't go into detail what happened with him and Tsunade. I came to ask you and see your well-being."

"He made a bet he could beat her in a fight and she lost, now she's supposed to go back to Konoha for a year as their kage. I'm not too sure if she will, knowing her, but I honestly don't care." That caught the blue haired woman's attention.

"Why? Did something else happen?"

"She said some choice words that hurt me more than I want to admit. Frankly, I want nothing to do with her but I know how things are. I will trudge through and I'm sure this wound will fade away but scars never fully heal. I have a mission and it means more to me than anything she could ever say to me."

"I appreciate your efforts, we all do, but your mental health is important too. If you feel things get too bad you can-"

"No, Konan, I can't. When you and Jiraiya came to me a few years ago I wasn't sure about the task but took it anyway. I trusted Jiraiya more than I was ever willing to admit and I still do. My position will soon be more important than ever, being assistant to a kage will give you more information needed to further the groups goals. I won't pull out because of personal feelings, not now, not ever" said Shizune, downing her water and pouring some more from the pitcher with a shaky hand. Once she stopped and set her drink down all that could be heart was the soft fall of tears on wood before heels were heard on the wood. Shizune didn't move and Konan embraced her, hugging her softly which she slowly returned with more force than intended. The taller woman said nothing as Shizune cried silently, making nearly no sound for a few minutes before the sniffling stopped and she separated. Konan didn't ask for what Tsunade said, asking her now would only worsen the situation. She could ask Naruto later on without creating issues for the black-haired woman.

Shizune wiped a tear from her eye "Sorry about that, I just needed to let that out."

Konan shook her head "There's nothing to be sorry about, you are a strong woman but there's plenty of reasons to need a shoulder from time to time."

"You should get going, they may be stopping by soon to check on us."

"I will, and we'll meet again before I leave and update you on how things went with Orochimaru. By then, if you can, I'd like a brief on Tsunade's stance."

"Yes ma'am." With that Konan disappeared in a swirl of paper, a single folded crane on the ground where she once stood. Shizune picked it up and placed it in one of her kimono pockets just as a knock came to the door.

"Coming." She moved quickly to the door and opened, not surprised to see Jiraiya.

"Want some dinner?" asked the sanin and she shook her head.

"What did she have to say?" asked Jiraiya, not surprising Shizune he knew Konan was there.

"Nothing much, just wants a report on Tsunade probably tomorrow morning before Naruto makes his way back."

"Understandable, now go relax and eat something. You and I both know you need some alone time anyway." With that the sage left and Shizune shut the door. Once it was locked she noticed a note on the ground a ways behind her, a toad written on the top of the folded paper. She picked it up and sighed a little before pocketing it and moving to make dinner with whatever she had sealed away some time ago.

With Naruto

"So you think that this will fix all the words problems? I feel like I'm talking to Jiraiya."

"I know it won't fix everything but this will help get things on the right track and speed it up rather than let them wait around for a few more decades. I'm not trying for the impossible but even you know that can be done with the right group."

"Let's say I agree, what's my role, or anyone else's? Where's the base at? What's the budget and where is the money coming from?"

"I haven't worked out everything for who is in charge of what just yet but I have some idea. There are three public squads with a set amount of ranking members. The first for the freelance, the only squad where the members won't always all be together. They are set to go after certain targets if need be but the main mission is to explore and create new relations in the group for expansion. The second is for diplomatic mission mainly, which do include protecting clients that go in hand with our diplomacies. The third is set solely on missions that the second and first squad don't attend to. They can go from helping out other villages ninja to regular missions sent to us from whoever asks.

There is one squad I want kept under the table, squad zero. You would be one of my first picks for this squad. It's the covert assassination, intel gathering, interrogation and research squad. Basically the dirty deeds we don't want out there for all to see. You will have your own area for work and I won't ask much of you besides whatever your findings are and cooperation if need be with other squads on intel. Anything gathered on missions or 'outings' is yours to keep, no holds bar but I want a full log of it all sealed away."

"In short, you want Orochimaru-sama to do what he's doing now but under your banner."

"Mostly, yes but I want you both part of this. However, I ask you to do it under our banner to help push our standing and power. I don't doubt your mind and experiments, you are both cunning and smart men but alone even you know there's so far you can go which is why Orochimaru went for Konoha. As a gesture of good faith I can offer you a strong vessel as well to sate the need to switch bodies if you agree to this."

"I assume you're in charge of this all?" said the sanin and Naruto nodded his head and he sighed.

"I don't have anything to lose really, I'm gaining more freedom with the Akatsuki off my back and more test subjects since you're sure to cause a ruckus soon enough. Very well, I accept your terms Naruto Uzumaki" said Orochimaru He held his hand up slowly, barely able to move it as he bit his thumb and pressed it on the contract scroll laid before him, Kabuto following the same movement. Once their thumbs were removed the blood dried quickly and a seal formed around it, just like the ten others around it.

"Congratulations on becoming a Knight of the King, Orochimaru and Kabuto. I hope together we can do some good in this world before it's too late" said Naruto.

The man managed to smile a little "I've always been interested in what kind of change you'd bring, being such an oddity amongst the masses. Now I get to witness it first-hand. If Jiraiya saw me now he's probably cry." Naruto couldn't help but laugh a little at that, knowing it was somewhat true that he would.

"Is there anything you'd like to speak about now?"

"Why have you called those two to accompany me? They serve no purpose anymore with the rest defeated soundly."

"Each Knight within the order is welcome to have a maximum of two ranked officers that can assist them with whatever necessary but are not permitted at meetings held between the Knights. Those two I would recommend, their potential is far greater than the majority of those working for you, besides Karin."

"I'll consider it. Are there contracts for them as well?"

"The only regulation is that they must be the only ones to assist you in business outside other Knights and their ranking officers. They can be shared if need be but you must ask the Knight in charge, your order for help mean nothing without their permission. Send me a note of your two when you decide and if you replace one, let me know as well."

"Very well, now do we call you King or Naruto?"

"Naruto is fine, King is only a title used for paper and diplomatic events. You know the way out, expect a delivery at the closest hideout within a few days from Hidan and Kakuzu. Thank you again for your cooperation and I hope only the best comes to us in the following days to come" said Naruto, bowing his head which was returned by the others. As they all left the room and Orochimaru's group neared the door Orochimaru turned around.

"Is it safe to assume you will deal with Pein?"

"He will be dealt with within the following weeks" was Naruto's short reply before the sanin left. As soon as the door closed and sealed Naruto sprawled out in the plush couch.

"That was a lot easier than I expected it would go" said Naruto.

"You have a lot to learn Naruto. I never expected much of a struggle from him, just questions. He didn't lose anything from this and only gained more than he could get alone. He chose the smartest option that benefitted himself and his cause. With his title he will have more reason to experiment and test the limits of ideas he has cooked up. Hopefully it doesn't get out of control though" said Itachi, sitting next to Konan on the couch across from Naruto.

"I was more paranoid than anything and I think having to worry about Tsunade, Pein, Konoha and my own group just got to my head, kicking up my anxiety. Now, that parts over so we can move on to Pein. One week, that's when we meet all meet near the tree before approach, besides Konan. I don't want a single one missing in case things turn but he's the one I have high hopes for."

"He's changed over the past few years, seeing your impact within the group and getting him more involved it the village has brought a more human side to him I haven't seen in a long time. This group has an ideal he might agree with and my words, along with your actions, should break him from that masked man" said Konan, leaning into Itachi a little who made no move against or towards her. They had kept this relationship for almost a year now, seeming more and more content with one another as time passed. At least to Naruto that's how it seemed.

"I'm gonna get some sleep before heading back in the morning. Let Kakuzu and Hidan know please and I'll see you all in a week."

"We will, sleep well" said Itachi before Naruto's breaths slowed, signifying he fell asleep.

"Think things will be ok from here on?" asked Konan and Itachi shook his head.

"They'll only get harder from here but that means we're closer to making a difference. He's already made steps to creating a base of operations somewhere between Taki and Konoha. He also mentioned talking to Kakashi for a favor he owed him, for what I don't know but he has a plan. He's not taking anyone lightly and planning every step with care. I'm sure Naruto will be a great fit for the role he's taking on. I couldn't imagine anyone else" said the elder Uchiha.

Inside Naruto's mindscape

The blonde slowly rose up, immediately getting tackled by Hitome a moment later.

"You did it! I knew everything was going to be fine!"

Naruto returned the hug and laughed a little "Ok ok, I give!"

"But I just wanna hug my favorite blonde!" responded Hitome, smothering him for a few more moments before finally loosening up. She pulled back, letting her deem crimson hair drape over them as she sat atop him, both sporting a toothy grin. Until Hitome's fell before she gave into the silence and spoke.

"It's been a while since I heard you laugh like that." Her voice was soft, like she wanted to keep it a secret even though she was just inches from him. Even her eyes averted as she spoke. It made Naruto's heart churn, he felt deeply saddened when she spoke like this. It wasn't a tone he liked hearing from her. He lifted an arm and brushed it against her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her eyebrow and to the side of her head.

"I guess I'm still having trouble showing much emotion outside of you, aren't I? It's just being so focused on my plans and life itself I just shove it away until I see you. When I'm here, or even just speaking to you, I-" Naruto stopped when she pressed her lips to his, surprised at first but he quickly responded in kind. The two shared the moment on for a second, just a quick kiss, but it felt like more to that to them. As short as it was, they separated and she rested her head on his chest while they laid in the grassy field outside the home in his mindscape.

"Let's just relax today, give your body and mind a break for now" mumbled the red head and Naruto chuckled a little as he got comfortable.

"You just want to find an excuse to take a nap whenever you can."

"Damn straight, now shhhh. Nap time."

"Yes ma'am."

The next morning

Naruto had said goodbye to Konan after she briefed him on Tsunade. Shizune had not spoken to her due to the comments made but she did contact Jiraiya before he fell asleep that night. She accepted the bet, apparently wanted to do some good in her life but her staying past a year was probably up to how things went during that time. He hoped she did, she was a good fit as a kage when he looked past her drinking and gambling issues. Anger wasn't a subject for him since he heard the Raikage was known for violent outbursts and the Tsuchikage wasn't exactly a docile man either. His main focus was returning to the rest of his team and headed back to Ame for some much needed rest before his biggest confrontation yet. He tried to think as little about is as possible, getting too worked up wouldn't allow him any rest for the coming battle. A stable mind was better than a paranoid one.

"Long time no see, kid" said Jiraiya, waiting for him at the edge of town with the rest of the group in tow. Shizune seemed much more quite than usual, reserved was a better word. Tsunade kept distance between the two as well, obviously they hadn't talked since the incident either.

"I had some stuff that took longer than I thought so I slept in the forest since it was too far to travel back overnight. Is everything ready to go?"

"Yeah but I just got a message a two-man squad from Konoha was sent after a small group of rouge ninja causing a lot of trouble just north of here. They wanted us to meet up and make sure everything went smoothly since they couldn't spare anymore for backup. There was rumor of a few high ranking ninja in the group so I figured we'd do good helping them out with us just a few hours from there. Are you ready to go or do you need to make a trip into town for anything?"

"No, I'm ready when you are."

"Onward we go then!" Tsunade took lead with Jiraiya, finding some comfort in walking with her teammate with the current situation. Kiyo took up the middle with Shizune and Naruto moved just behind them, keeping his senses focused primarily behind them. It wasn't really necessary with two sanin traveling together but there was always the option of taking out the weaker ones from behind, like any ninja would. Naruto didn't feel the need for it though, they arrived at the village fairly quickly, moving at a fast pace in case the team did really need back up.

"What the hell happened here?" said Tsunade, looking around at the small village. There were barely any buildings, just six long houses surrounding a smoldering banana farm. It had long been burnt by the looks, almost a day by Naruto's guess. The houses didn't show too much more promise, scorch marks littered each one, holes, large pieces burnt away and a multitude of deep slashes scattered them all. Kiyo picked up something quickly though and pointed it out to Naruto. There ahead in a small creator was a black spear covered in seals similar to Naruto's weapon.

"That's sensei's long spear" said Naruto, narrowing his eyes before moving past the rest in search of his teammates. Suddenly he sensed a faint chakra signature just in the house ahead. He moved quickly, breaking through the door and stopping when the edge of a sword rested just inches from his left eye.

Naruto brought his hands up slowly "Aki easy, it's just me, Naruto." Slowly the blade lowered and Naruto took in the surroundings of the building. Ren was asleep against the wall, covered in a few minor burns but his body had a multitude of slash marks and bruises. Next to him were five civilians he assumed to be the farmers, two adults, a teenager and two young kids. They looked somewhat unharmed, rough for wear but unharmed. It was then Naruto heard Kiyo gasp behind him before rushing to Aki's side, careful to not touch him while he sheathed his sword. It seemed he took the brunt of fire damage, his right arm, part of his right leg and a fourth of his torso was severely burned. The fire also had hit high enough to just barely reach his right eye. By then Tsunade and Shizune made it there and moved everyone aside before beginning their medical duties.

Despite the issues between them they worked quickly with one another. Shizune moved to Aki and Tsunade went to see how Ren was before the man near him spoke.

"He's awake but he seems disoriented. I can't get him to open his eyes and he only mumbles from time to time."

Her hand glowed green and she pressed it to his forehead "They must have used a toxin which went through these cuts. His temperature isn't awful. Jiraiya, you still have that antidote for the toxin we found near Kumo?"

"Yeah, I always keep it handy after I caught that" responded the sage, pulling it out of a small pocking inside his vest. Tsunade popped the cork off the vial and poured it into his mouth before he suddenly began to shudder. The small seizure lasted only a couple of seconds before his body relaxed and his breathing slowed. It was then she looked to the family, checking them over in her own eyes as the mother seemed first to speak then.

"We are unharmed, they threw us in here before the fighting started" she said not wanting the medic to waste time on her family when it wasn't needed. Those two ninja needed far more than they did. Tsunade nodded her head and turned to Aki as Shizune was wrapping up his burns.

"Once we arrive in the village I'll get you cream for the burns and pain medicine to help with the discomfort but you need to try and minimize movement on your right side."

"How long?" responded Aki, speaking for the first time since everyone arrived and they all could hear the raspy tone he held. His vocal cords were extremely dry, not surprising Shizune in the least.

"At least a month before you think about full motion again unless you want the healing to take longer. For your throat I'll get some lozenges to help soothe the irritation but use milk first to help before taking one."

"Yes ma'am, thank you. Nice you see you guys made it" said the brown haired boy with a small smile. Kiyo couldn't respond, she was doing her best not to tear up but Naruto did.

"I'm glad we moved quickly but I apologize for not being with you to help out. Who the hell was here? I thought it was just a few ninja from what the perv said" said Naruto, pointing to the sage.

"It was, there were only two ninja but they disguised themselves as lower ranking ones while roaming around here. When we encountered they started easy, acting like chunin level ninja but once sensei started pulling more punches the two immediately ditched the guise and fought at full force. One was Raiga, that former seven swordsmen guy with the twin kiba's. The second was a former anbu named Kouga from what Ren knew. Kouga threw around fire jutsu left and right, his first one was what caught me by surprise and burned me like this. We didn't give in though and eventually they decided to fall back after injured Raiga really bad with his spear."

"Do you know if they stayed close?" asked Jiraiya.

"No, I tracked them for a few minutes before heading back. I think they kept going, well past the border with the speed Kouga was moving."

"Are they safe to move?" asked Naruto, turning to Tsunade. She knew he meant his sensei and the civilians, their teammate showed he could move ok if need be.

"Your sensei needs to be carried but we can move them. It'll be slow pacing though."

"Not if we use shadow clones" said Jiraiya, summoning two clones of himself.

"Everyone besides Tsunade and Aki can carry someone. You'll be our guide while we move so I can focus on keeping a sensory field up while I carry the sensei."

"If you say so" responded the medic with a shrug. She knew the way back fairly easy but she figured Jiraiya would want to guide being the one that traveled the area the most. Tsunade stood up as everyone readied up, Jiraiya's clones carrying the adults while Naruto the teen girl, Kiyo got the youngest son and Shizune got the baby daughter.

"Is there anything you need here before we leave?" asked Naruto to the girl he was carrying and she shook her head.

"Clothes would be all we need moving, our houses are destroyed now" she responded in a soft tone. It was obvious she was hurting and Naruto had a few assumptions why. There had to have been more alive before everything today happened so some may have died before Aki arrived. Jiraiya took that answer as the signal to move and they all took off through the farm and into the trees nearby. While they were traveling Naruto tried to get some kind of information as to why those two ninja chose that village to attack.

"I don't mean to be rude but could you tell me why you think those two went after your village? We might be able to find them and stop them if there's a correlation to another."

"There won't be, they went after us because we were there. That's exactly what they said a week ago when they first arrived. They told us we had a week before they came back and burned it all. When my fathers friend asked why the man with two swords just said cause we were the first town they found." Naruto could feel her fists clench and her arms tighten around his neck. She had every right to be angry, there was no meaning behind the action but Naruto expected that. Last Kisame informed him of the new Seven was Raiga was fucked in the head. He did whatever he pleased, whenever just because he had those swords. Pity really, he was going to miss those talks with Kisame.

"We'll find them, don't worry. I have a score to settle after all" said Aki just right of Naruto.

"You don't need to, you've done plenty keeping us alive" responded the girl.

"It's not all for payback for you. As a swordsmen, I was bested and I plan to get better to take on who bested me. Only next time I'll be going after him to avenge your town and my own pride."

The teen sniffled a little and nodded her head "Ok, thank you Mister." The rest of the trip was uneventful, Tsunade led them to the village gate within half a day's travel. They had opted to stop but the family insisted they move on and they didn't need to rest or stop.

As soon as they made it to the gate the guards signaled, a group of anbu appearing to relive the group of the civilians. Jiraiya handed Ren to his clone before leading both the clone and Aki to the closest hospital for treatment. While the other farmers were getting off and walking to the waiting anbu Naruto turned to the teen before handing her a blood red kunai, a wrapping around the handle with strange seals littering it all over.

"Keep it close, in case you need help just toss it down and I'll come running."

"Thank you…"

"Naruto."

"Thank you Naruto, I hope your route home is a safe one."

"Mirai, we've gotta go!" called her mother before she turned and jogged up to her family, pocketing the kunai as she did.

" _ **Giving her that kunai is quite a gesture on your part, Naruto-kun. You only just figured out the formula for it and you're already giving it away to civilians."**_

" _ **I have a plan for it, I promise."**_

" _ **You know I know that! I'm just teaaaaasing!"**_ Naruto only shook his head in response before Jiraiya spoke up.

"The anbu will take them to the medical center before they get help setting in through village services. I'm going to get Tsunade to the tower and you two can go check up on your teammate and sensei. I'll call for you later on to talk about some stuff."

"Sounds fine, see ya" said Naruto, heading off after Jiraiya's clones with Kiyo in tow.

"Ready, Tsunade?"

"I was never ready in the first place but I may as well get it over with."

"No matter our differences, I'll be here Tsunade-sama" responded Shizune in a soft but strict tone. She was letting her know she was there to help but she was still not happy with everything, not by a long shot.

"Thank you as always, Shizune."

With Naruto

The blonde teen sighed once more, already feeling the effects of exhaustion seeping in. The past few days had been hectic, from a war, Tsunade, Orochimaru and now this. It seems everything was falling apart on top of him. Now, as one of his best friends was in the medical ward being treated for severe burns he was on top of the hospital with Kakashi and someone he hadn't met before across from him.

"I'm tired Kakashi, and I'm sure you both are too. Why'd you call us?" asked Naruto, exhaustion evident on his face.

"This is my friend Yugao, Yugao this is Naruto. He's currently a ninja of Ame but he'll be venturing out soon from what I've been told. I'm asking you as your next mission to follow my friend here in hopes of safe travels."

' _What?'_ thought both anbu and genin simultaneously.

' _That makes no sense at all. What kind of crap is he trying to pull over me right now? Also, how does he know I'll be traveling soon. The only person that knows that who's even awake right now is Jiraiya. He wouldn't put Kakashi up to this…would he?'_

' _Senpai must be pulling some serious strings to get anyone to right this off. What's his angle?'_

"I know there's plenty of questions but didn't have too much of a hand in this one so tone the glare down you two. The council signed off on a mission ordered by advisor Danzo and seconded by the jonin commander Nara which allows for the mission to be finalized. The purpose of this is to assist and aid Naruto through his travel and report any threats to either village as soon as you come across them. While you are doing so, send updates on any new structures, additions to towns and anything else you deem informative to both villages."

Naruto and Yugao got the gist of it but each knew the underlying reason. Danzo wanted information on more towns near Ame while keeping a current whereabout on Naruto now that the Third Hokage was no longer there. The Nara seemed to second it as well as know a more up to date look on the area near Iwa and assumed she'd send info on Ame and anything she could snuff up. Anbu was anbu, after all but Naruto knew ways to work around this.

However, Kakashi suggesting her was also interesting for Naruto. He knew of Hayate's death, the second exam proctor, to one of the invading Suna ninja just before the third exam started. He also spotted her at his grave site before the final exam. She looked terrible, like she only focused on work and did nothing but the bare minimum to keep moving and keep her team alive. Maybe he hoped Naruto would help her regain some of her old self, bring that life she lost back into her somehow.

" _ **Possibly, warrant her to our side as well. You need a guard anyway with how your new system is going to be set up when you travel. This one here may be a perfect close to mid-range fighter and you get all your travel time to build her from the ground up. She'll be a shell of her former self once you break the only wall keeping her moving. After all, something total rebuilt will always differ from its original in one way or another."**_

" _ **That's my plan, my only hope is that she will see our view of things before it's too late."**_

"Have you spoken with my own leader?" asked Naruto and Kakashi nodded his head.

"It has already been confirmed, your team will go ahead of you with our personal anbu escort in the next few hours. We were asked to allow them to recuperate at their own hospital once the two were confirmed in stable condition. You are to be sent off tomorrow morning. A ninja from your village is returning from a mission nearby and will meet you a few miles from the gates, providing escort back to your home. Yugao, I'll fill you in on a few personal things in private. Naruto, I hope you get some rest soon." Naruto nodded his head and the two disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the blonde alone once more. As they disappeared Kiyo opened the door to the building from behind him.

"I know, Kiyo, I was just informed. Will you be ok going with the anbu?" Kiyo took a moment to collect herself, not expecting him to answer so quickly before speaking.

"I'll be ok, sensei is being prepared for travel while Aki is packing everything we have left. Are you going to be ok with this? I'm not too trusting of some village we've barely been in."

"If Kakashi can vouch for her then I'll do my best to trust her enough to get me home. Past that, I'm not sure how it'll be with her around but we'll have to make due. Konan sighed off on it so it's an order whether we like it or not. I'll see you guys at home."

"Y….you aren't going to see us before we leave?"

"It'd be best if I didn't with how they are right now. Aki's used to be second in charge if sensei is down but right now as it stands you'll be the one controlling the group for the most part. His vocal cords need to heal, along with the rest of his body, so the less he uses it the better so I'm sure he knows that. I entrust the team to you, Kiyo" said Naruto with a smile. Kiyo wanted to argue, she wanted to shout at him to go with them, to….to…..to lead them like he did with sensei….but she knew eventually they'd need to lead themselves. This was the first time she'd ever been asked to lead, it was her turn to show everyone she could do more.

"I'll do my best to lead the team home" said Kiyo, sorting her own smile and a small salute before running off downstairs. Left alone once again Naruto let his mind slip away, escaping to his mindscape for a few minutes.

* * *

"So tell me, what's your take on all this?" asked Naruto, sitting across from Hitome in the living room. The two usually enjoyed warm tea while talking anything business in his mindscape. Hitome, not one for chairs if she didn't have to, preferred the mats and low table over anything else.

"My take is your being forced to work with someone you know nothing about a few weeks before going on possibly the biggest fight of your life. Konan knows this, yet she signed off on it. She wouldn't do it if she didn't have a good reason and we've gone over what would be the most likely scenario. However, it's your new partner I'm most concerned about. She'll probably be instructed to give a detailed layout of the village and anything else you come across in your travels. Naturally any shinobi would in a foreign land but….her attitude and motivation as a whole is worrying.

Her entire being shows she's mentally and physically exhausted from moving nonstop, even anbu aren't worked so hard they show it outwardly. They'll move for a long time but they get adequate breaks to keep them fresh and alert, a dull tool is no good after all. If she continues this she'll be nothing more than toting a skilled chunin. You need to fix her drive and soon, preferable before you separate for the traveling."

Naruto held a hand up "I don't think I can fix these issues that soon. What she has will need to be taken care of in a different way. She's anbu, so she'll shut it out if I move to quickly which also means I cant just break her down. I need to pull it out, brick by brick and as I'm doing so push something in to fill that spot otherwise she'll crumble. I'm glad Orochimaru and Sasori taught me so much about all this stuff."

Hitome sighed "True enough but we can't just leave her be until we leave. You need to interact with her as much as you can, learn her patterns, everything she is now before you make a path to helping her. Someone is closing in on you, the chakra feels like Kakashi, just Kakashi."

"We'll speak more later" said Naruto before he opened his eyes in the real world right as Kakashi dropped in behind him.

"What's up?" asked Naruto, trying to act casual after just exiting somewhat difficult planning discussion.

"I came to give you some information on Yugao that might help you and inform you of a few things. Her letters are going straight to Tsunade, I assume she'll be acting kage by that point. I'm sure you know what she'll be sending for the most part so I won't go into that." Naruto got the gist of that, she was tasked with the layout of the village and anything to benefit Konoha. He'd need to watch her closely then.

"I do what you to know more about her though, so you may actually stand a chance of helping her out in some way. She's never been an emotional type, by any means she's as bad as Itachi in his anbu mode. The few that could break her from that impacted her life significantly, like some jonin here and her boyfriend, Hayate, who was killed before the invasion. I can't do much to help her, I've been left with a lot to do here and I can't do much with her way of seeing me as only her leader and comrade. She's strong, her kenjutsu skills are great, she's a capable medic, decent with seals, an astounding tracker as well as a sensor. I can't give you too much else to go on besides that."

"What were her habits? I don't think an introduction to talk about them right now would go well but I need to know so I can plan some things."

"She loves to stay up at night and watch the moon, she usually reads a night too. She has a habit of leaving at odd times and scouting the area if she isn't familiar so her tracking won't be hinged in case it's needed. I can't go off much else, her personal life was somewhat of a mystery. Even her boyfriend was kept at odds since they had only been together for a few years and their schedules were so conflicting. I wish I could give you more, I've already left quite a job for you."

Naruto waved him off with a small smile "Nothing to worry about, Kakashi. I'm thankful to be given this opportunity to work with an Konoha anbu with her credentials. I'll do everything I can to help her, she deserves more than to wither away. How is she taking it?"

"So far, she seemed somewhat excited to leave the village. Getting away from the bad memories was something even she knew would help, so I'll entrust the rest to you. You can use the same room to rest, we've kept it reserved till tomorrow."

Naruto bowed his head "Thank you, I wish you the best."

"Same to you." A moment later the two disappeared, one in a gust of wind and the other in a swirl of leaves.

Next day, mid-morning

"Naruto Uzumaki" said Naruto, holding his hand out to the purple haired woman.

She accepted the hand shake with a neutral expression "Yugao Uzuki. No point in holding full names, we'll be together for a long time anyway."

"Here's to hoping it goes smoothly. Are you ready to go?" Yugao nodded her head, basically all her belongings were sealed away in the two scrolls resting at the bottom of her back. Her attire hadn't changed though, she kept her Konoha anbu gear on too. He'd need to take her to get different clothes when they went out. Walking around with that would just make things more of a hassle in….well….probably anywhere. He checked over his own gear quickly, all his items kept in a small scroll in his back pouch. He had on the same outfit when he arrived, finally able to wear it after finding his scroll in the apartment.

Once he was ready Naruto took the lead, traveling straight into the forest with Yugao just beside him. They kept a brisk pace, not slowing or stopping until they reached near the point where Kakashi said the escort would arrive. Naruto stopped suddenly and dropped down, landing just in front of a small stream. Across the way, tied to a tree was a small white cloth even Yugao could guess was a marker for them.

"Rest up, after they get here I don't plan to stop until we've made it home." The anbu nodded her head and sat down on a large boulder nearby, not really needing anything but didn't see a reason to stand since she wasn't sure how long it'd take the escort to arrive. She watched the blonde stretch out, understanding since he just woke up he'd want to loosen up a bit before taking on the longer part of the run. What she couldn't figure out was his importance, besides being told he was a jinchuuriki. He was a genin, at least in rank, yet Jiraiya took him on a trip to get the next Hokage and Kakashi seemed to trust him hands down. Even Danzo had some kind of favoritism towards the boy and that man seemed to hate anything that didn't have to deal with Konoha. So what was it? Her thoughts were cut short when two chakra signatures suddenly appeared on her radar moments before the landed just near Naruto.

"Long time no see, kid!" said the first man who dropped, walking up to Naruto as the two shared a high five. The second one, a much quieter man, simply nodded his head to Naruto who nodded back before he set his sights on her.

"I presume you are Yugao, the Konoha anbu" said the man in a gruff voice. His face was masked, only his eyes visible but he held an aura of power around him. His entire body was covered from view, even his hands were gloved. The other was a much more open man, slicked back silver hair, open black jacket without a shirt, black leather pants, boots, a strange necklace and a huge three blades scythe on his back.

Yugao stood and walked towards them "Yes."

"I'm Hidan" said the silver haired man loud and clear, waving to her before pointing to his partner "That's Kakuzu. We're the escort, so get ready, we'll be booking it back. Plenty of stuff to do that doesn't involve you." Kakuzu shook his head and waved Hidan off.

"Excuse him, he's not all there."

"Hey!?"

"You know our names now, we're hunter ninja for Ame. We'll escort you back to the village perimeter but no further. Keep up please, as he said we do have other business to attend to." Yugao never responded, not that she was given a chance anyway. Once he spoke the two took off, Naruto turned to her with a smile and waved her on before they followed after.

"Sorry they're a little….odd for partners but they're good guys" said Naruto.

"It's fine" was all she said.

" _ **Geez, talk much?"**_ retorted Hitome. Naruto kept his thoughts to himself, not seeing a reason to try and get her talking right now anyway. They didn't have long anyway, the trip was barely half a day's travel at their speed since the main village was just off the border. After arriving at the outskirts of the large village Kakuzu turned to the two.

"Konan wants to see you both first before anything else. I'll see you later, Naruto."

"See ya short stuff!" said Hidan, ignoring Naruto's middle finger, before taking off after Kakuzu who turned heel and left.

"Just follow me, it's hard to navigate this place sometimes" said Naruto, taking to the top of the metal structures. One thing Yugao thought was interesting about this place was its buildings, there wasn't any actual homes inside the heart of the village. All there was were tall metal buildings, some shorter than others while others towered above the rest. One such building stood out, one taller than any other and the one they seemed to be heading for. She kept quite while she followed the blonde, judging his every move since they last took off. He was solemn, never seemed to change his facial expression too much but their trip only raised more questions for her. He was a genin and yet moved at a speed she was sure only someone at jonin level could operate. The people that picked him up spoke so casually with him, people she knew fit the description of S-rank ninja in the area. None of it made any sense and it only irked her more. This mission was slowly turning into something she wasn't going to like.

Her inner thoughts were cut off when Naruto jumped into the opening of the tall building up top, to which she followed suit. Inside was a plain area, just an empty area besides a door at the far end of the room.

"She's just in there" said Naruto, leading them across the room and opening the door for her to enter. Once she stepped in he moved behind her, shutting the door and following her to the desk just ahead. The room was lavish compared to the previous area, pristine wood floor, smooth polished metal walls, chairs and a small lounge that seemed brand new and at the far end was a large mahogany desk. Two chairs sat nearest to them while a lavish, large chair was placed across the desk. In it sat Konan, forgoing her cloak to disassociate herself from the Akatsuki. She had on a blue shirt that reached well past her knees, sleeveless while cut open from the belly button and the length was only in the back tail. Her pants were simple black, skin tight down to her white open toes boots.

"Hello Naruto, and hello to you Yugao. It's a pleasure" said Konan, standing up and going around the desk to meet the two. Yugao didn't speak, she only bowed as Konan walked up to her. After all, there was nothing for her to say anyway.

"I'm glad your village made it alright after the invasion. I've already sent what resources we can spare for relief effort but if there's anything your contacted about that's needed, by all means let me know. I was sent a message by summon from Jiraiya stating to tell you Tsunade Senju has taken up mantle as the Fifth Hokage. She thanks Naruto and Yugao for the help fending off enemy forces during the invasion. Naruto, I'm proud of you and how well you handled the situation, dictating the highest threats and putting them down before it could cause more chaos. We'll speak on promotions next month. For now, take the rest of it off. You've both earned some relaxation time."

"What about the living arrangements? I don't think Kiyo would be thrilled having me and my new partner here living together."

"I took care of that after signing the mission statement. There's a two bedroom apartment down the street from hers. It's the new unit that was just built last year and we reserved room 514. It's the largest room they had since I'm sure you two would like your own personal space just getting to know each other. Your things from Kiyo's have already been moved and I've personally furbished the apartment for you."

Both ninja bowed "Thank you."

"Dismissed." With her final word said the two left, leaving Konan to return to her seat just as Itachi walked out from the shadow behind her.

"So?" asked the blue haired woman, watching her friend sit down. The two had grown closer than they expected over the past years, doing their best to work around Pein, that Madara character, and so much more. Even Itachi had left his cloak as she did in favor of the normal wear he had on underneath. His scratched Konoha headband still visible on his forehead.

"She's grown since I last saw her but she's just as broken as report by Jiraiya. Naruto has a lot of work cut out for him but…I have faith he'll do fine. If he's supposed to lead us then I'd expect nothing less."

"I figured that's what you'd say and I'm glad you did. Pein is moving around for jinchuuriki more frequently now, targeting each one's whereabouts so he can make a more solid plan before we go dormant. At least, that's the plan for now."

"Don't worry about the future battle. I see things going smoother than previously expected with his change in attitude towards Naruto."

"That's right, he had a private meeting with you recently. What was that for?"

"Asking how Naruto was doing so far, what his skills and such had been. He's surprised were still using some tactics he showed us in capturing some missing ninja, or the ones Hitome pointed out for him. He sees him more as a capable, strong ninja than just a host waiting to be killed off. As long as we use valid points and come in carefully there shouldn't be any problems. You'll be the support but Naruto and I will do most of the negotiating. He will falter with some of the facts given but your support should go a long way in driving the nail in" said Itachi, shutting his eyes.

"I hope so, for all of our sakes. If we come to a fighting point, it's going to turn out much uglier than we could ever imagine" responded Konan.

* * *

As Naruto opened the door for Yugao he took the room in, large living room and emphasize on large. It took up nearly the entire space in front of them, four book cases, two couches on either side, a sizable coffee table on the left side and a lounge area on the right. Across to the left of the room was a kitchen, nothing big and fancy but enough for the two to use at the same time if need be.

In front was small hallway where the bathroom was at the end and two rooms across from each other. One door was open, obviously Naruto's room with the amount of stuff boxed up in it and the other was Yugao's. Hers had plenty of furbishing and more than enough space to unseal all the belongings she brought. Another thing Naruto noticed was all the furnishing looked brand new, and somewhat expensive. The kitchen seemed to have been overhauled slightly, the bedrooms were cleaned up and new beds were added. Even the bathroom seemed nicer than you expected but this was a nearly brand new complex so it wasn't too surprising. It certainly was more than most ninja had, used to small area's since they were always on the go.

"Do you have anything else to where besides your regular anbu attire?" All he got was silence, answering his question.

"I'll take you to get some clothes once you unpack. I'm sure you'll need more than that for relaxing and when we start traveling."

"Alright" was her only response before going into her room and shutting the door.

" _ **I can already tell she's going to be a handful. Barely talks and doesn't really care for anything around here."**_

" _ **I'm gonna have a blast"**_ groaned out Naruto. He unpacked his own belongings for a while, getting some clothes sorted into drawers, putting up some sealed gear and organizing his books at the right end of the room. Over the time he roamed with the Akatsuki, or former really, he collected a large variant of books. Even though there was two book cases for each of them Naruto had already filled his two up and he was sure he could fit at least another four.

"Man, I have so many books" sighed Naruto, rolling up the scroll that held the rest and setting it atop the full book case. Just as he closed everything up Yugao walked out of her room holding nearly two dozen books. She walked past without a sound, filling up most of the far left book shelf. One thing Naruto took note of was her movement, he almost never heard her footsteps, her breathing was silent and he couldn't sense her that well.

' _So that's an anbu's skill, even off duty she moves the same. If only I knew her before she went through this. She must have been a real problem for anyone against her.'_

' _He has a lot of books pertaining to different subjects, medical, culture, geography, history and a few I can't see. What's he doing with all those? There's no way he's just a regular genin, just like Kakashi-senpai said_.'

Flashback

Yugao and Kakashi sat alone his is apartment, it was fairly lavish, something you wouldn't expect from the man.

"So what's this mission really about?"

"Officially by Danzo and Shikaku, research the area, full scan of everything you find important to send back to us. How is there economy? Population? Village set up? Even Jiraiya made it a point to stay away from there so getting someone inside will help tremendously. You aren't expected to get a whole lot inside the village, even Danzo knows they'll be watching every single step you take. What they really want is geography and information on every place you travel. Our forces haven't been there in years, getting an up to date look on that area of the world would greatly increase our chances in case another war breaks out. Just be careful with it."

"That's it then? Just advanced scouting without the added secrecy of sneaking everywhere I go?"

"Officially, yes, that's all they want you to do. Unofficially, Jiraiya and myself are tasking you with something else. Protect Naruto, he may be a crazy strong genin with a sharp mind but a kid is still a kid. I'm not even sure if he's been in a real life or death situation, bloodied, bruised and facing someone far outclassing them. He's good but he needs experience, something you have plenty of. He needs your help just as much as you need his."

"I don't need his help, senpai. I told you, I'll be fine after clearing my head and resting" said Yugao, exactly like an anbu which Kakashi was quick to point out.

"Answering in an anbu tone means you aren't, your shutting down to keep face and preform diligently. We, and any ninja, need to be at our top form to live in this world. I don't know how you see things right now Yugao but even with Hayate gone, you have a purpose. You have a means to live, to carry on and do something good for someone else just like he did for you." Yugao stayed silent, she heard his words, she truly listened but her mind was stonewalling itself. She wanted to accept it, truly did, to keep moving but refused to. No one could make her do that and protecting some strong genin wouldn't change that.

"Go get ready, you leave tomorrow morning." Yugao bowed and disappeared, leaving Kakashi alone, or mostly.

"Haven't seen it that bad in an anbu for a long time" said Jiraiya appearing behind Kakashi who sighed in return.

"Anbu are trained to keep it all in, only the mission, only your team, only your village. Not you, us. She's doing just that but her movements are far from peak which sets her in danger as an anbu captain. She was going to be forced down tomorrow by the anbu commander anyway, putting her teams life at risk like that. I'm glad she was chose for this mission, Naruto seems to turn everything around."

Jiraiya chuckled, thinking to the current state of the Akatsuki "If only you knew, Kakashi. He's changed the ideology of people I never thought would see the light for years to come. I'll be off once he moves, I need to catch up with some contacts on the other side of the world. Kumo has been quite so I'm worried and the island countries like Demon have contacts I haven't visited in a while. Keep the village safe, try to help Shizune get a break when you can. She had some issues with Tsunade and needs distance from time to time now."

"Yes yes, I'll make sure. Just don't go getting into something you can't get out of."

"I'd never do such a thing!" As Jiraiya and Kakashi shared a laugh Yugao faded away from her spot near the home. She knew Jiraiya sensed her there, she could evade Kakashi but a sanin was till just that. He wanted her to hear, but she only wish she hadn't. That boy wouldn't change a thing, if he did by damn she'd follow him to the ends of the earth for it.

End flashback

Yugao shook her head from the memory, not wanted to think ill of the boy. He hadn't proven anything to her yet, for now he was just a boy she needed to watch over. Nothing more.

"I'm ready to go when you are" said the purple haired woman. Naruto stopped looking through the kitchen area and turned to her with a smile.

"Awesome, I'm ready now! I'll take you to one close by the place. Do you need any gear?" asked Naruto as they began to exit the house. Something she had to get used to was wearing the large straw hats to protect them from the constant downpour. The rain wasn't heavy and it didn't' shift direction so just a regular large hat did all the work of keeping her dry.

"The usual supplies for travel."

"Alright, this place here carries both so we should be able to do a one stop shop." She walked in with him and noticed he was right, it was much larger than most shops in Konoha. They didn't really have a mixed shop so seeing it all in one place was interesting. Even other countries didn't have it.

"Most places don't mix but the owner bought out the store next to him when it was going under. He and the other guy now own it together and make a better profit selling it all in one store. Pick what you think will be best then come get me when you're done. I need to do a few things too." His new partner quickly split, moving through the clothes as Naruto walked to the man at the register.

"Been a while Kor" said Naruto, leaning on the counter.

"How's that bow been for your friend?"

"Just fine, she's been really happy with it. Any word on that special order?"

"It should be here early next week. Are you wanting the new clothing sets you requested?

"Yeah, I'll check those out once she's ready with her stuff."

Kor nodded his head "Alright, so what's up with the new partner? Did something happen to your team?"

"We got caught up in the invasion of Konoha. Aki got injured pretty bad, sensei is recovering and Kiyo's the only one who can even go on missions right now. She's a ninja from Konoha, were supposed to go together soon and scout the area's nearby. Look for new geography and threats to either village." Naruto saw no harm in telling him, it wasn't like anyone could sneak up to him in the village as it was. Konan saw everything in this rain.

"Ouch, hope everything works out with them. Are they going too?"

"Of course, Kiyo and Aki are going on their own mission when I leave. Sensei is supposed to go with someone else but I'm not sure who yet."

"Hmm….well watch your back. She's a foreign ninja either way. Here she comes" said Kor as Yugao walked over. In one hand was a common scroll created at the shop filled with a variety of different items needed for travel. Replaceable ninja equipment, basic clothing, gear and other odds and ends one might need on a long journey. In her other hand was a stack of mixed clothing Naruto couldn't make much out of. Most of it seemed like normal clothing, only a few items looked like cold weather gear. However, he did notice another scroll in her hand with the kanji for clothes on it.

"What's in the scroll for clothes here? It said ninja wear but it doesn't specify" said Yugao, setting everything down.

"What you'd expect, it's a mix of different outfits for cold and warm weather, two of the same one are in every seal. I think it's a little more than half a dozen different outfits." Yugao turned to Naruto, her chocolate eyes seeming a little more lively than usual.

"I'll take these then."

Naruto smiled "Very well! All that and then what I need please." Kor nodded, sealing the extra clothes away in another scroll before checking them out. Once Naruto had paid he bagged the four scrolls and handed them to the blonde.

"Safe travels, kid."

"Always." He bowed quickly before they moved a few shops down, a well-known restaurant.

"You can head back with the bag, I'll grab some food here. Anything you want in particular, or something you really don't want here?"

"Sweet chicken and fried rice is fine. Thank you" said Yugao, bowing her head a little. Naruto counted as a win while he watched her walk back to the apartment. She barely spoke until now and seeing that little bit of light in her eyes means he found something she enjoyed, clothes shopping.

" _ **We'd get along just fine if she wasn't such a depressed, angry shut in right now"**_ said Hitome as Naruto got in line.

" _ **After seeing that though I think the plan needs to be redone. She's already broken her wall, there's nothing but a foundation now. A foundation of her old life, anbu. That's all she had right now and she's clinging to it with all her might to keep herself from completely breaking down which is fine. That little spark she showed means she's open to change but there's nothing to build upon, she hasn't moved past her way of thinking."**_

" _ **What way of thinking? That anbu is all she can do now without him?"**_

" _ **No, that she need to live because he died for her which made her mind revert to what she knew best, anbu. She's still herself, she still has all the same functions, muscle memory, everything but the lively hood died. All she has, and is right now, is anbu for the sake of Hayate's memory. I need to break that last part, she can be what she has been, anbu, a skilled ninja, but enjoy everything she did before he came in her life, just as she did when he was there."**_

" _ **Good observation, Naruto-kun. If you can get here to realize that and move on, or even just push forward enough, she's already in the right step. The question is, how will you? You can't just toss it out with tea, but you can't dance around the subject either."**_

" _ **I won't plan this one, I'll play it by ear for right now and wait for the right moment. After she takes that step forward, after she can finally accept it what's gone, then I can work on getting her back up to what she once was."**_

"Next!" shouted the order taker, having said so for the third time.

"Sorry!" responded Naruto, shaking his thoughts away and placing the order.

* * *

For the next week Yugao and Naruto went through the motions, preparing for the traveling, relaxing and Naruto left frequently to visit his team. Today marked a week and a half the two had been in Ame, Naruto was getting back from his morning visit with Aki and Kiyo.

"I'm back" said Naruto, opening the door to see Yugao standing there, fully geared up in her old anbu gear. Before now, she had been wearing a mix of casual short sleeved shirts, shorts and some sandals. The change came as a shock but put him on edge seeing her with two fully stocked kunai pouches, a back pouch and her sword.

"What's wrong?" asked Naruto, not taking his shoes off. He didn't know what her intension were right now and he wasn't too keen on taking a chance.

"I would like to spar, being cooped up here is getting me antsy. If that's alright." She ended the statement in a nice manner but Naruto knew it was more of a demand right now, not a question.

"Alright, follow me."

"Are you not going to change?" asked the woman. After all, he had been wearing the same clothes for a week and a half, well, washing them frequently, but he never put anything else on leading her to believe it was causal wear for him now.

"No, I don't plan to keep these much longer anyway. Let's get this going." She kept silent, following him through the quite street. Mid-morning here was dull, barely anyone was out as they moved through the city and ended up in a large indoor facility. He moved past a few rooms then opened a door, letting her in before shutting it. Once the room shut a seal spread across it. This was Naruto's old training ground and where he first met his team. It was somewhat large, plenty of room for a spar for two of their…..expertise.

"What's the rules?" asked Naruto, stretching out a little as she drew her anbu tanto.

"Call submission, unless you have another idea. I haven't sparred with anyone below anbu in a while so I'm not sure what to suggest."

"Call submission's fine, I like that over first blood. This way the fight won't end too soon" said Naruto, pulling out a kunai.

"Go!" shouted Naruto and Yugao moved. It wasn't very fast but it wasn't a normal chunin speed either. He easily parried the first swing, avoided the second and leaned back from a kick. Immediately after the kick she dropped, swinging the other leg out to trip him. Naruto jumped, avoiding the low kick but brought his block up against a strong left punch then slid back from the force. As his feet hit her blade arched around his right, leaving for an easy parry but opening his stomach to a knee kick. He tensed his muscles, stopping the blow from hitting too hard and returning with a solid left hand punch to her stomach. Yugao had stepped back to minimize the contact but Naruto took a strong step forward, driving it home and sending her skidding across the arena.

"You're really good. Want to tell me why a genin is skilled at hand to hand?"

"The same reason you got put into anbu at a young age. I learn fast and I'm skilled in certain arts. Why are you so curious?"

"You're hiding a lot, yet you know so much of my own life I'm sure Kakashi told you about. I know nothing of your skill, your life, anything about you besides what I've seen."

Naruto thought for a second then smiled "I didn't think you'd care so I never bothered telling you anything about myself. You've been so consumed in doing nothing but being a dull existence since your lovers passing I didn't bother trying to give information that would mean nothing."

Yugao bristled at that comment "If you chose to speak I might be more inclined to open up."

"Bullshit. You've shelled yourself away to function as anbu and nothing more. You've taken the happiness from your life, anything you found enjoyable is mostly gone while you work on for the sake of staying alive for him. You aren't supposed to stay alive for him, you're supposed to live for him. A child could figure this out. Grow up."

"Do you know-"

She stopped when Naruto interrupted her "I've heard this speech before, barely two weeks ago from Tsunade. I have a different answer for you. Do you think your alone? Do you think no one suffers as you have for another reason? The one I hold dear to me, the one I see as the only gem in my world, I cannot be with. Never. We can never have children together as it stands now and we can't see one another. We can't enjoy the moments you've enjoyed with Hayate. We get nothing but memories, wonderful, but if you can't even touch the woman you love in life how would that feel?" Yugao said nothing, she had retorts but it seemed to her now he wasn't going to let her get anywhere in the argument. All she could do is glare at the blonde in front of her.

" _ **Naruto…..don't do this…..not here, not right now."**_

" _ **I'm not playing this game anymore. I toyed with Tsunade because I knew it would be more prosperous if we fought for a while. This fight with her won't go anywhere without some kind of stimulant to get her stepping forward."**_

' _ **I didn't mean her…..Naruto'**_ thought Hitome as Naruto spoke once more to Yugao.

"I'm done with game we've been playing. Do you remember the night he died?" All she could do was nod, not understanding where he was going.

"I sensed a presence that night, as well as small spikes in chakra near my apartment but I left it alone. I later learned Hayate was in that fight and I know now I could have easily stepped in to prevent his death." She moved the instant he said that, a full speed charge right from the start. She leaned her head left through the charge, letting the kunai fly by her but it still left a deep gash on her cheek. Her first lunge came with full intent to kill, every move Naruto noticed was exactly as he expected her to be in her prime. Nothing was wasted in her charge and nothing was left open as she thrusted into his stomach. Well, she would have if Naruto hadn't grabbed her wrist with his left hand to stop her. His grip was strong, much stronger than hers.

"I won't sit idle as you attempt to kill me." She gave no response, only pulling a kunai from her left pouch and aiming it right at his right eye. His right hand shot up, pushing a pressure point in her wrist that caused her to let go of the weapon. He grabbed it as he hit her with his shoulder, pushing her back a little. A moment later he was stuck into a short duel, blocking and parrying all her swings as best he could with her own kunai but he noticed something. The kunai was old, was covered in rust as and began to chip away as he blocked the blows.

' _She knew I'd get this one out of her hand. She's really wanting me dead here. Guess I shouldn't just play around anymore.'_ As he thought that she sliced down hard, breaking the kunai and leaving a deep gash along his chest. He jumped back, trying to gain distance but as soon as he did she followed. However, the little distance he did gain allowed him to enact his plan.

Yugao moved after her prey, not wanted to give him a second to rest. Right now her mind was hazy, she wanted to make him feel the pain she did when she saw Hayate dead, covered in cuts. He needed to feel what he could have stopped but as she charged after she suddenly acted completely on instinct. The anbu brought her tanto up as fast as she could as a massive weapon appeared in a wisp of black energy, grinding against the blade as she kept it from taking her arm off. The moment it stopped she back tracked this time, flipping a few times before stopping. Her right arm that held her sword hurt, the sudden appearance caught her off guard and it left a large gouge in her shoulder. It was usable but the pain was hard to ignore. Now she could see he was taking things seriously. He carried a massive black and red halberd, his stance was solid and his eyes, those soft blue were now ice cold.

"If you wanted me dead you should have tried harder at the beginning. You won't get your goal now" said Naruto. Yugao looked to her tanto, a large portion had been chipped away from keeping the halberd at bay. It wasn't going to last much longer. No matter, this was her last stand anyway. He could have saved Hayate, and if he couldn't even do that she had no reason to be here.

The purple haired woman moved first, taking off at her peak speed right at him. He waited till she got close then swung down. Yugao thought she could dodge it but the speed he swung caught her off guard and forced her to stop, blocking the weapon with her own as it came down. It hit hard but she held it off then shoved it back before tossing a few shuriken at him. This time Naruto pulled his own kunai out, deflecting the projectiles while Yugao jumped high and brought the blade down once again on him. In a show of strength Naruto quickly hefted his weapon around, swinging upwards to meet her downward slash. It worked well, too well. The strength he put in it was more than intended and as their blade connected his cut through her own and dug a slash mark across her chest, just like the one she gave him.

After her weapon broke and she felt the blade rake her skin Yugao landed just in front of him, her resolve never wavering as she pulled two good kunai from her right pouch and thrusted it forward. Naruto had all the option to bring his own weapon down on her, jump back or even use his kunai to block hers, but he didn't.

" _ **I'm sorry Hitome. This was the best thing I could think of."**_

It clicked immediately in her head what he was speaking about _**"NO!"**_ A second later his weapon came crashing down, the spike on the back impaling into the ground while his kunai fell with a dull thud. Yugao stopped, her body froze as she came face to face with the boy. His blue eyes no longer held the cold edge they did, all was offset by the warm smile he showed her as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. The anbu stepped back, her bloody hands leaving the pair of kunai that now jutted out of his lower abdomen.

"D-did that help?" asked Naruto, trying not to cough up blood as he leaned on his weapon for support.

"What?"

"Did it help? I…ugh, this hurts…I figured you just needed to let out some anger you've kept bottled up against whoever killed him. I never sensed anything close, I wasn't even nearby. I sensed it but I'm also a sensor, such a distance away I couldn't have done anything if I wanted to." Yugao was trying to comprehend it all but all her mind was doing was keeping the gates up, protecting herself like it had been since Hayate passed. She could do it, she just needed to calm down and…and…

"Cry a little, that's what you need to do. You need to let out all the emotion you have bottled up. Everything's been kept inside you, ever since that night, you've shut yourself off to keep your foundation secure and keep moving. Now, you can let it go, let it out and relax." Naruto took a few steps forward, pulling the two kunai out and holding hand over the open wounds. He could feel Hitome's chakra coursing through to heal the internal organs and slow the blood flow but she wasn't healing the wound. Probably because she didn't see a reason to after he intentionally took the blow.

It wasn't his focus for the moment anyway. He continued to walk forward, moving quicker than Yugao could step back, her mind too clouded to move fast. Just as she was going to turn Naruto wrapped his arm around her and held her in a hug. At his age, he was just barely an inch taller than her but it worked for now. He embraced her. She struggled but quickly gave in, her last barrier falling as the person she was intent to injure severely now embraced her, something she hadn't done ever since that day. She began to cry, placing her head in the crook of his shoulder and cry to her hearts content, not noticing Naruto dismissing his blade silently as Hitome spoke to him. Her tone was not a pleased one by anyone's standards.

" _ **All internal damage is healed but everything else you've sustained so far will heal at a normal rate. I've clotted the blood so you won't bleed out but you'll need some minor medical attention to close the wound properly. The two holes will definitely scar up so you'll have a reminder of what happened today."**_

" _ **Thank you and for what it's worth, I'm sorry I did that. I didn't want to tell you my plan beforehand, I knew your response already. I…..we'll talk soon. I promise."**_

" _ **You better, and be safe Naruto. Please."**_

" _ **I will."**_ It was then Yugao had grown quite, standing fully before separating the two.

"I want to thank you, for helping me and what you did today but I'm upset you even took things this far for just a traveling companion. Why would you do this just for me?"

"Well, partially because Kakashi asked me to. He's a friend of mine too. Also, I don't want to see someone with your skill act as you have, just wither away like that and it'd only get worse on the travel. So I devised this plan, knowing you'd want to spar since I usually never spoke to you this past week. You'd want to stretch out a little and here we are. It did get a little drastic but it takes something like that to shake someone like you out of that mindset you were in. My hope is that you can grow even greater from this while on the travel trip of ours. Now, I'd appreciate some help. I need to go see a doctor pretty soon." It was then Naruto's last bit of energy left him, causing him to fall forward but Yugao quickly caught him. She tossed his arm over her shoulder and began to walk him towards the door.

"There's a nurse near the entrance, she can patch this up enough to keep me on my feet."

Three hours later

Naruto let out a heavy sigh as he sat down in one of the living room chairs. The nurse closed the wounds properly and wrapped up his lower half as well as putting more on the chest gash he had. Yugao was looked at too, a small patch was put on her cheek and she was given medical wrap bandages like Naruto for her own chest wound. The nurse had said he could heal fine in a few days, Yugao would be fine with a good night's rest since her wounds were shallow compared to the blondes. Yugao was currently washing off in the shower, leaving Naruto to speak with Hitome inside his mindscape.

He opened his eyes, seeing the inside of the house only to fee a sharp sting on his cheek when Hitome slapped him.

"You have a lot of nerve doing that to me! A whole lot of nerve, you hear me?!" Naruto didn't say anything, there wasn't anything he needed to say until she asked him too.

"Why did you even think of doing that without telling me? I could have planned for it damn it! Just….tell me please….you scared me." By now, Naruto had turned to her and saw she had been crying, obviously, after he got stabbed.

"I didn't want to because I wasn't even sure myself what was going to happen and how I'd play it out. All I knew was I was waiting till she'd want to have a spar and then I'd most likely try to push her over the edge. Past that, everything was by ear. I'm sorry I worried you and I'm sorry I got upset and started saying those things to Yugao. I know we're working on fixing this, at least to get you out of the seal in some kind of body. I just….I guess I had a little moment to vent too." Hitome's look softened, she knew he was in as much physical pain as he was mental. Her soft hand rubbed against his cheek before she closed the distance to share a quick kiss. The two separated and Naruto smiled, that dumb goofy grin he seemed to only show her and she couldn't help but laugh a little and smile back.

"I can hear something, I need to leave. I love you, always."

"I love you too." Naruto hugged her quickly before opening his eyes in the real world, seeing Yugao walk out of the shower, clothes in a casual shirt and pants that made it just half way down her shins. A towel was still hanging from her soaking hair.

"You're welcome to use it now."

"Thanks, I really needed it" said Naruto with laugh, still covered in old blood. Yugao returned the laugh with a smile and nodded her head, moving to the kitchen to make something to eat while Naruto shut the bathroom door. As he took off his bandages Naruto noticed the slash on his chest was completely healed, only the two stab wounds showed any form of scarring.

" _ **I healed everything at a rapid pace when you visited. The slash was shallow, easy to heal fast but the other two were going to scar anyway since it was too late for me to work on it completely. I'm sorry…."**_

" _ **No, it's ok. They'll serve as a reminder of what I've done in my life so I can learn from it and improve. After all, I can't go around solving everyone's issues by getting stabbed, now can I?"**_

" _ **You better not mister or I'll start stabbing you."**_ Naruto chuckled, undressing himself and starting the shower. As he began to wash off his thoughts wondered. Yugao seemed a little happier and hopefully over time she'd be able to take the right steps to become even better than before. She had broken down, during that fight Naruto noticed how different, how forward, her fighting style was to other anbu and she didn't use any of the sword skills the bingo book said she had. That meant she either chose not to or she cast those aside since it was Hayate's skill. No matter, there was much to be done in the coming years but now Naruto needed to focus. Yugao was stable again and his next encounter with Pein was slowly approaching. He needed to prepare and he needed to find time to work this to his team and to Yugao. After all, they were part of the group as much as he was in the current layout planned.

' _That's work for tomorrow. Today, I'm gonna relax a little while longer. After all, I'm only young once.'_

 **That's a wrap guys, long chapter, really long, well over 20,000 so woo for me and you! I haven't had one that long in a while. Introducing Yugao like I did may come as a surprise and not make sense but everything has a plan. She's got an important role for her ahead so be prepared! I'm proud of it, I'm keeping my on the path I wanted while finally setting up for the time skip cause after the time skip things get really fun! Bigger battles, stronger opponents and more stuff to work with! Take it easy guys and leave a review to tell me how it is. I don't get too many anymore. Take care everyone!**


	8. Chapter 8

**More chapters more words and a double update! Two chapters over 20,000 words is all one could ask for! Bigger AN at the bottom but just know, it's a heck of a hefty ready. I will be using quote on chapter 7 for both chapters. On we go!**

Chapter 8

Naruto looked at himself in the mirror, his new outfit fit better than he expected for his first time wearing it. He had on a skin tight jet black tank top custom made by Kor's brother. Stitched inside the fabric was soft plated chakra armor providing the same protection a metal chest plate would without the weight. It was extremely thin so it also didn't seem too much like it was on, only the design and a side look would show anything was there. Contrast to the black on the majority on the shirt he had on a small necklace with an orange Uzumaki clan symbol pendant.

Following the dark pattern he had on a pair of forest green, brown and black pants ending off tapped into black open toes combat boots. Added to his new outfit was a pair of specially made metal bracers on each forearm, covering from wrist to mid arm which parried with his close range fighting style.

"Not bad, not bad at all" said Naruto, liking the new gear. His only issue was his arms were left open for all to see, not something he was used to doing. He sighed, there was no getting past it right now so he opened his door and left the room, coming into a sight he wasn't expecting. Yugao was sitting on the ceiling in her part of the living room in only a sports bra and shorts, a large 45 pound weight disk stuck to her back with chakra. Each leg had two 45 pound disks and both hands and two 10 pound weight disks. She held each disk by applying chakra to those areas of her body while the ones on her hands she used only the tips of each finger.

"How's that going?"

Yugao opened her eyes and looked to him "Just finishing up." Right after saying that a timer went off on the kitchen counter, signifying her workout done. Naruto walked up to her, letting her drop each weight before getting down herself. He took the weights and put them up as she wiped herself off with a towel then moved to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

"Want anything?" asked the woman, pulling out some eggs.

"No, I need to get going. Thanks though." Naruto waved her off, strapping down two kunai pouches and two back pouches before heading for the door. As he opened it he took a sparring glance, watching her quietly making food. She looked up when she noticed the door hadn't shut yet, seeing him glancing back at her.

"Off on that meeting with Konan and her friends?"

"Yeah, I'll be back but uh…..thanks….and stay safe, yeah?" said Naruto with a smile before shutting the door. Yugao thought for a second she saw him frown, just as the door shut, and it even sounded like he was sad for some reason. She brushed it off, she was just over analyzing. They had to leave tomorrow so maybe he was down about going far from home again.

* * *

Naruto stayed silent as he quickly pushed through the village border and onward, moving at full speed through the terrain. His eyes stayed focused on the path ahead but his mind began to wonder as he spoke with Hitome

" _ **Are you sure it was ok to lie to them all? You….you really don't know what to expect here Naruto."**_

" _ **It's better I don't, they'll want to try to provide some kind of back up or cover if things go bad. This isn't something we can take a single chance on, even sensei is kept out. I'll be at the meet point soon so I won't be talking until it's over but I'll hear it if you suggest things like you normally do."**_

" _ **Alright, be careful. You've got full access to my chakra whenever you need it."**_

" _ **Thank you and….I love you."**_

" _ **I love you too honey."**_ That was the last thing Naruto heard from her before he sensed five different signatures converge around him. A moment later most of Akatsuki was around him. Itachi, Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori and a new face Deidara. Apparently he was wanting to learn under Sasori after defecting from Iwa, hearing stories of the man's spy network as well as his strength and experience. Naruto was just surprised he even agreed to such a thing, Sasori was certainly a picky man when it came to training people.

"Ne, who's the kid Sasori?"

"A really smart kid, that's who" said Kakuzu.

"Getting that old man to say that is impressive" said Hidan with a laugh.

"He's strong, in his own way. That's all you need to know right now" said Sasori. They stayed silent afterwards, moving through the changing landscape quickly until they arrived at a set of massive tree's marveling the size of those in Konoha. Itachi took front now, Naruto directly behind, Sasori and Deidara on one side, Kakuzu and Hidan on the right.

"So how stro-"

"Shut up" said Sasori, no longer needed to hold a conversation. They were just ahead of the tree, or fake tree, and getting unfocused was the last thing he wanted to do. This wasn't a game anymore. Naruto sighed, letting some tension out of his body but he swore he heard Itachi sigh and watching his shoulder slump ever so slightly.

"Stay alert, stay focused" said the elder Uchiha before the paper tree opened as they approached. The ringed purple eyes of a frail looking man narrowed watching the small group approach. He turned slightly to Konan.

"What's this? I never ordered them here. Are you trying to overthrow me after all these years, Konan?" She shook her head, stepping forward to face him as the rest kept their distance.

"I'd never overthrow you but I'm doing as I've always done, help guide you on the right path. Do you remember why we started this group?"

"For peace, Konan! Peace through pain is the only way!"

"No! It was meant to help everyone and free people from rulers like you! Yahiko…..yahiko is dead and it seems that when you released that thing your mind died with him. You blindly listen to a man filling you with sweet words, words you yourself know to be lies but assume that you'll just toss him aside one day. You've been sitting in the dark for too long and it's time you came out….it's time we did what the Akatsuki was meant to do." Nagato looked to his longtime friend, he heard her words but his mind was far from made up.

"You think doting on them as children will fix everything? We must show pain to let those without it realize what they have, cherish what you love, what you've lost, and become greater from it. Our plan will allow a power greater than anything in existence to destroy what's been left to rot the world and corrupt everyone's lives."

"Right and wrong really" said Naruto, gaining a heated glare from the man locked in the machine.

"What do you know, boy? You were raised by us, I chose to leave you alive as an asset to capture the rest of your kind. Don't speak in a conversation you have no place in."

"Actually, when you're talking about 'my kind' and that statue thing, I can say whatever I want since I know more than you do. I've been told this masked guy spoke to you on how to use it, which means he knows a lot more than you do too. Do you know what happens when you gather all nine bijuu together? The ten tails, the original bijuu, is recreated to wreak havoc. You, nor those eyes of yours, can control such a demon. Unless you have some plan to control it with wood jutsu I'm positive you don't know then you can't do anything but fight a useless fight until this masked man takes control and finishes whatever he started. Wanna know how I know that? The nine tails told me, the one who used to be part of the ten tails and the one who knew more about it than you do. Really Nagato, did you not think sealed chakra into one statue wouldn't stop it from keeping it's sentient energy and reforming into the original being it was?"

It was Itachi who spoke next "Do you think causing pain and oppressing people the same way you were oppressed during the war would change anything? It would breed more rebels, create the same group you made to fight the oppression then we'd be back at square one. Fighting for power someone else killed to get. It's time we stop thinking so linear. If you want change like that, help those who can't help themselves and let them rise up against it all. After all, if people see change as well as have a hand in it, everything runs smoother than a forced ruler with unwilling participants."

"And how would you propose I do that? You still need power to do that!"

Naruto spoke this time "No, not necessarily. If you made connections with, let's say, two kage and they agreed with your viewpoint but as kage they cannot openly do anything to help the people. Where does the useless waste of money go? The daimyo and their parties who 'run' the country. They needless waste food, money and other resources simply because their great great grandfather owned land and suckered the villages into a shitty agreement. Get rid of them, there's a lot of extra budge to work around fixing the economy, slums and the smaller villages scattered across the nations.

Then you do come across another issue, policing such areas. You'd need to go over ever office, have third party agencies run over every single division through the villages, both large and small. Cut corruption immediately and with that you need a fair judge. Some use their power to steal money for themselves others use it to feed their starving families due to the little amount they get paid for such work. It would be delicate and time consuming but after a year or so, with enough people, the system would be mostly cleaned. From here we'd operate as the third party policing staff and extra staff for missions to fill the holes left by ninja sent to oversee the expulsion of corrupt businesses." Nagato never said anything as Naruto and Itachi spoke, his facial expression remained neutral while Naruto explained his plans. Once Naruto was done silence fell and all eyes once again fell to Nagato.

"You seem to have planned this, or created this, for some time now. What makes you so confident in this over my own method? Even if I cast aside gather bijuu our group alone could just overtake each nation piece by piece, carefully and rule from behind the scenes."

"Someone would fight back, release enough information to cause suspicion and turn the entire thing on its head. Your way would have to rely on every kage being under total control, even new ones. If you don't have it all perfectly working together then one slip up, one person leaves and shouts it's all over. This does rely on everyone but it's a loose agreement where they can still regulate their own villages but without needed forehead approval from the Daimyo who simply horde the money for their own personal use. The only thing they'd lose is slight security with our own forces making sure the transition is smooth and corruption is weeded out quickly but correctly. After that we stay the worlds police force, keeping the powers in check with our own group until the nations work out a new agreement through themselves. This is somewhat short term but you can't have too long term of a goal in an everchanging world. Not all of this is going to work out perfectly either but just know, everything has a meaning and one way or another, the plan will come together. Less bloodshed, more happiness for all and one day, we might achieve some amount of peace" said Itachi.

"You sound like Jiraiya. Do you honestly believe in everlasting peace?" asked Nagato to both Itachi and Naruto.

Naruto shook his head "Never, it's not something that would ever happen in a million years. That cannot be reached but we can get close. Even just creating a more peaceful world, one where a world war isn't looming ever generation, would solve some problems. Battles will be fought, no matter what, but doing our best to keep peace afloat will keep it in hearts and minds of those after us. So, even after the inevitable we can rest assured it will pass and they can learn from it, grow and have an even longer period of peace. Life isn't without hardships, we all share some kind of pain but we grow and become greater each time it happens in an effort to prevent it happening once again." The leader of the Akatsuki was motionless, his breathing had slowed and his temper seemed to have subsided. Naruto's only hope was he wasn't bidding time for something but there wasn't much else they could do.

He turned to Konan "Is this what you want? Are you really ok with everything they just said?"

"We'll serve the people like we said we would, do exact what we wanted to do from day one. Yes, I'm ok with this. Are you?"

The man sighed "I guess so, there's not much of a choice anyway. I don't think I could go against you if I wanted to, Konan. There's just one major problem, the masked man. What's your plan for him?"

"We'll hide you for now and do our best to stay off his radar. All the other hideouts have been destroyed, Orochimaru is offering up any of his for our use whenever we wish. Myself, Itachi, Konan, Sasori and Hidan are the only ones staying in the new group. Sasori's going to keep information sustained through messages and Kakuzu will continue to bounty hunt, giving us portions as he catches them. My team will stay as well, this will be who we work with. A small but diverse group, nothing more is needed to get our start. We'll grow as time passes. During this we'll find a way to take down that man and eliminate anything else working with him. Destroy the statue, there's no need for it anymore."

Nagato sighed "I'll trust you on this, I'll trust Konan's word and faith in you all. As your former leader I'll continue to put my faith in you all to execute and exceed your duties. I'll control Ame from now on and if you ever need back up you know where you'll find it."

"Itachi be back to help transport you with Konan, we need to prepare for travel" said Naruto turned to the rest "Go ahead and get moving, guys. I'll get in touch with you three soon." A few minutes later only Hidan, Itachi Naruto and Konan were left traveling back.

"What's my go in all this?" aske Hidan

"Meet up with Ren and head over to Mizu where you'll meet another member joining us. Ren will brief him and get things set up but make sure you help him out when you can. Ren's the leader of you and the new guy, as much as you love to do whatever you want trust in him please."

"Don't get all huffy, I'll listen to him…..mostly. As long as I sacrifice everything's gonna be dandy. Is he still living out at the usual house?"

"Yeah. Just don't go barging in like last time. I'll see you later."

"See ya kid, be safe out there." Hidan veered off, heading to the outskirts of the village while the other three moved towards the center.

"Aki and Kiyo already headed off towards Iron. He planned to meet some old friends of his family, train there. I'll take Yugao and scout the farther regions past the Iwa border. It's high time I went back and this time went farther in than we did before."

"Be careful there, Itachi pulled back for a reason. It's a messy place past with the outlying nations. They don't conform to the same standards most ninja do there since there's not much of a ruling party besides a few large villages that exempted during the founding. Itachi and I will work with Orochimaru to start creating the base, most of the foundation is already set but there's still a long way to go. I'll make sure we check up on Aki and Kiyo often so we know there's safe."

"Thank you. It'll be a long time before we see each other again."

"It will, but when we do meet we'll be ready for the dawn of a new age" said Itachi. He was hopeful for the future. Sasuke was slowly warming back up to him and hopefully soon he'd be ready to train under his watchful eye and excel even farther than he thinks he can.

"It will, won't it? Take care" with that said Naruto fell down, heads straight for his apartment just a few blocked away. As he entered the building and began to ascend the stairs Hitome once again returned into his mind.

" _ **It went well, very well."**_

" _ **I expected some kind of fight honestly, which is unsettling me even more. This means he was already having second thoughts and whoever works with him may have noticed and planned accordingly. If he begins to move, most likely with a new team, then we'll need our own to combat that as well as deal with the issue of the elemental nations taking action against us. Only a few villages will join us at first and soon we'll be left with little backing besides our small group. However strong we are, we'll be spread out and too low on numbers. We'll need to amass a larger following, or at least a few garrisons to protect our main base as well as cover small protection detail teams for claimed lands. Then we-"**_

" _ **Relax, remember we already talked to everyone about this before you left for the exams. It's taken care of and we'll be scouting while we travel so there's no need to worry. You've got plenty of time, love."**_

" _ **Sorry, Hitome-chan. I just keep so focused I lose track of things sometimes. I'll talk with you again soon, I'm just outside the apartment."**_

" _ **I'll see you later."**_ Naruto let out a slow sigh, calming his racing heart before opening the door to the room. What he didn't expect was to see Yugao dressed up, fully ready for travel. She had on a grey sleeveless shirt just as he had on, one that she rush ordered a few days before. Added to that was a pair of black pants tapped into anbu style boots with shin and arm guards nearly exactly as her ones from before but fortified in strengthening seals.

Naruto made it a point to add it to her gear, stating she never knew when it would come in handy during their travels. Under both guards was a pair of long sleeved gloved, covering all the way up to her mid bicep, showing off the anbu tatoo Her light brown eyes glanced over him, her hand on her hip as two scrolls, a foot and a half in length, were rested on the small of her back. Two fully stocked kunai pouches, two back pouches and a necklace with a gold band ring with a citrine birthstone Hayate had gifted to her for her last birthday.

"What's got you up in arms?" asked Naruto, shutting the door behind him.

"No need to play the fool, that sensei of yours, Ren I think his name was, informed me of everything in the few hours you were gone. I understand your reason for not telling me, talks with people I don't know or have no business with are understandable but you could at least be honest with me when you said it was a business deal. I wouldn't have demanded I go along. I'm a guard but I'm not stupid, I know when I am in the way of certain things."

' _Oh thank god he just said a business deal. She doesn't know everything just yet.'_

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "Sorry. I was really unsure but I didn't want to take any chances with this. It was really important for the village. I guess he told you we're all setting out to leave as teams for right now?"

"Yes, I already packed and I assume you did to."

"I'm ready to go, everything's sealed up on me" said Naruto, patting his chest, slightly motioning to the seal she knew he put near where the odd seals on his arms stopped. It held all his stored items in scrolls without having to tote them around.

"Lead the way, I'm ready to finally stretch my legs for real this time." Naruto nodded his head, smiling in agreement before leading them out of the building and off through the edge of the village. Just as the two left the village and headed towards the border between Ame and Iwa Naruto stopped Yugao inside the forest where the tree's covered most of the rain. He unsealed a scroll and began to rummage through the scroll, looking for a certain kanji then sudden a cloud of smoke covered his hands. A moment later she saw a fine crafted katana, a little lighter than the standard issue anbu were given as cover ins for their tanto's. However, what she did see was a much finer craftsmanship, a sharper edge, tougher metal, stronger guard and a general improvement in every aspect of the weapon itself.

"Konan sent us on a mission near Iron country before we headed out for the chunin exams, just a supply drop off for some merchants. I stopped by a local blacksmith and mean to restock on a few things but got this sword too. Figured either I might need it, or someone else I knew would, later down the road. I did kinda damage your sword before saying I'd take it to get fixed. I never got around to it so here's a little something to make up for it" said Naruto, rolling up the scroll and sealing it away as he watched her swing it around, getting used to the different weight and handling. She strapped the sheath to her back and slowly sheathed the weapon then turned to him, a smile on her face. Yugao couldn't help it, she'd only ever received gifts from Hayate and now getting it from someone who only a week and a half ago helped her overcome her depression well…..it made her happy. This wasn't some spoiled, strong kid. He was caring and looked after those who worked with him.

"It's perfect, thank you" said the purple haired woman, the genin returning his own bright grin.

"That's not even the coolest part! There's a seal on handle which transfers chakra into the metal which is infused with special properties. That basically makes the blade sharper, similar to if I added wind chakra to my kunai but you don't have to be a wind user. The seal does all the work for you! Now, let's get going! We've got a country to cross and much to explore!" shouted Naruto, taking off into the forest ahead, his new bodyguard and new friend hot on his tail. Yugao thought at the beginning of the trip she would baby sit him, watch over him, cook, clean do everything she would for a child. She never expected she'd be following him into enemy territory. With Hayate gone, she needed to do what made her happy as Naruto said and Yugao was certain of one thing right now. Traveling with Naruto, exploring the world, helping him, that's was what made her happy right now.

Earlier the day before - Aki and Kiyo

Kiyo groaned, stretching out as they walked down the pathway leading out of town with Aki at her right side.

"Just us, huh? It'll be weird without Naruto and sensei here to push our pace" said Aki lightheartedly, already missing Naruto's constant banter with himself or Kiyo as they traveled. It was something he enjoyed, Naruto kept things interesting no matter where they went.

"Yeah, but I think it's for the better really. We all got used to Naruto being here, even sensei too. Now everyone's out with different teams, exploring the world as ninja do. I'm so excited!" said Kiyo, shaking Aki a little as they made it out of the village and began to head towards. He laughed a little, sharing some of her excitement but not all of it was there. They were heading to the land of Iron for a reason, just as Naruto was going past Iwa, east of their own destination. He was seeking help past the elemental nation's borders in an area where few ninja ventured. He intended to come back stronger than ever, to lead their group. Aki was a knight, and Kiyo was part of the group too, they all had their roles. He was headed to where he could train under the best swordsmen around and hopefully get past his disability. The loss of his right eye made it harder for him to battle, leaving one side completely open. A sure way to die in this world.

"Aki-kun, you there?" asked Kiyo waving a hand in his face. He shook his head briefly, bringing her hand down with his own.

"Sorry, Kiyo-chan, I dazed off for a second. What was it you were asking?"

"Are we going to be ok passing so close to the main village? Their ninja might take action against us."

"I really doubt it, Ame has been neutral in most of the wars but let's take off our headbands when we get closer to the border. Best not to take any chances, right?"

"Right!" They kept fairly quite from then on out, enjoying the last bit of Ame scenery as the rain subsided and the temperature began to shift slightly. As the rain subsided Aki took off his headband and sealing it away on a rest stop with Kiyo following suit.

"What's the route plan through here?" asked Kiyo, taking a sip of water as Aki rested against the tree with her.

"Well move through a few small villages just east of Iwa and I rerouted to pass by a hot springs just at the edge of Iron country for you. We just need to be alert when we're traveling and keep close to each other no matter what. We've gotta travel really carefully in the main nation territories."

Kiyo smiled and nudged him "I know, I know, but you just wanna relax with me in the hot springs."

Aki turned his head to hid the small blush from the image in his mind "I….uh…wouldn't mind if you're ok with it."

Kiyo's smile widened and she leaned in to kiss his cheek "I'm always game. The quicker we get there the better! Let's get going!" She got up quickly, jumping on the balls of her feet as Aki made his way up slowly, stretching out his sore right side with a slight wince.

Kiyo's excitement died down when she saw it "Are you ok to travel right now?"

Aki smiled and flexed his right arm "All good to go. The muscles are still sore so moving some ways still hurt a bit. I'll beat you there, even crippled." A moment later he shot off, leaving Kiyo standing alone under the shade in shock. She shook her head to break out of the momentary shock before taking off at full speed after her teammate.

Later that day

The white haired young woman kept close to her teammate as they entered a fairly large town numbering what Kiyo sensed to be around a couple hundred people. Just across a large ravine connected with a massive bridge was another town that looked nearly identical in size and shape. The villages names were Kita and Minami (North and South). Currently they were inside Minami and everything seemed fairly simple, the buildings mirrored one another down to the color, the streets were identical in how everything was placed. It was nothing like Ame, crisscrossing walkways, all manners of turns while everything had its own unique style to it. Even Konoha showed that but these two towns showed off little in terms of uniqueness. The two quietly moved through the town, making their way to a small food stand.

"Hello traveler, what can I get you?" asked a young woman behind the counter.

"Two dishes of today's special please" said Kiyo with a smile that the woman returned in kind with.

"Do you want the beef and potato stew with or without noodles?"

"With please."

"Right away!" She spun on her heel and began to cook, grilling up the meat and tossing a handful of diced potatoes into a pot of boiling water.

"Is this place normally this empty?" asked Aki.

"My shop gets some customers, enough to stay in business but my selection is frowned upon here. Traditionally, we don't offer much to do with seafood and some exotic fruits. It's seen as shameful to make anything that isn't native here, or found here." Aki didn't respond, he and Kiyo kept quiet until two bowls were set down in front of them. The waitress leaned on the counter top, keeping closer to the two then most would as she began to speak in a hushed tone.

"If you mean the town then that's because mostly everyone's out at the new mine that was discovered at the end of the ravine. It's been found rich in a large selection of minerals but both towns are arguing over who gets the right to mine it. It's a perfect split but of course, each side says the other one has more than the other, or more minerals that the other."

Aki waved his hand "I didn't mean that at all! I was just asking abou-"

The woman waved him off and smiled "I know you two are ninja, your set up differently than the rest of my customers. You must be the ronin contracted to help dissolve the fight. Head down the ravine east and you'll run right into the other bridge where they'll be. Meals on the house for you two. Good luck!" Without giving a chance to respond she ducked away, heading into the back of the kitchen with the dirty dishes.

"Look what you went and did" hissed Kiyo as the ate quickly. Not sure if anyone else they passed by had caught on or how she seemed to deduce such a thing. The two finished quickly and left, still setting down a few bills for the food before exiting and heading towards the bridge.

"She's a cook and a waiter so she's probably overheard other's talking about asking Iwagakure for help. We know they've used ronin before to take care of some missions when forces are thin so her deduction after seeing the way we looked was off of what she heard." Kiyo pulled at Aki's good arm, stopping him as they were about to cross the bridge.

"We should help them."

"No. You should know better than that. If they even suspect a single thing we'll be captured or worse. Helping them would put us out there and-"

"It would put us out there, exactly what you just said! That's the goal for the new group! This would be a good way to start, in a new area, and get our faces out there!" said Kiyo and Aki hesitated. He understood her meaning, and it wasn't a bad one but he was still recovering. Kiyo was confident though, in her ability and his as well to that extent and he needed to have faith in her. Just as he had faith in Ren and Naruto to lead them.

He sighed and smiled "Alright, I'll follow your lead and step in if I think you need help. Lead the way."

Kiyo beamed at him "Yeah! Let's get moving!" She practically dragged him through the streets, leading him towards the ravine before looking east, sensing a gathering of people. The two took off from there, running well beyond the ability of civilians to reach the other bridge in just under a minute. The sudden appearance of the two ninja in between both parties along the bridge ceased the loud arguing from each parties representative.

"Finally, those ronin from Iwa showed up!" shouted a man from the north village.

"Yeah, to show you guys who's really wrong!" yelled a woman from the south village.

"Enough, I need both leaders of each side to step forward" said Kiyo, taking charge by resonating chakra through her vocal cords to amplify her words. It had the effect needed as a woman from the North end and a guy from the South end stepped forward.

"Give me a rundown of how things have gone down so far" asked the white haired woman to the two that stepped up.

"We both found this deposit at the same time, I'll agree to that, three days ago. Since then, we've tried to come to mutual agreement but the South believes themselves to be worth more than we are. They want to split mutually but we've found an excess of iron on their end" said the woman.

"Because you have more coal on your side Kitara!"

"Bullshit Morda! You can't even see 10 feet in front of you properly!"

"I can see stupid though and I'm looking right at it shouting at me!"

"That's it! I'll go over there a-"

"Shut up" said Aki, his cold voice washing over the crowd, ceasing the shouting match that was about to begin.

"Thank you. Now that you can hear me let's start this up again. Instead of taking from each side for this specific section we'll do another type of system. Every bit of material mined will go through a general sifting and sorting area before shipping off and sold. Profit will be split evenly between each town which means you need to have the same amount of workers on site and do your best to keep the weight exiting each side as close as possible to the same as you can for this site. As long as both sides agree to the same effort standard and it's enforced by representatives from the other town to assure fairness. Does that sound fair?"

"What if one side finds more than the other? Do we get compensation?"

"Say if the North side comes across a rare mineral, it needs to be documents and signed by both representative from the other side, the miner that found it and the acting leader for the team before being taken off site. With a multi stage check list everyone would be compensated fairly for special finds" responded Kiyo, silencing Kitara.

"Fine, is that agreeable Morda?"

The burly man crossed his arms with a huff "Sounds fine to me, for now. If I get a lick of deceit then I'm reporting it straight back to the head village for breach of contract."

"Same goes for you, you blind bat." The man growled out but stepped forward, extending his hand. She looked down then back to him and sneered before the two shook hands. They sent their team off as Kiyo wrote up the terms, and mission statement before having each sign it on the bridge.

"You ronin are quick with your work. Guess they have you running ragged, huh?" asked Kitara to Aki as Kiyo spoke to Morda on everything she wrote down as he couldn't read it himself.

"Yeah, not much time to break but it pays well. We get the occasional rest stop at the springs up north when we can so it's worth it."

She laughed "Aye, that place works wonders on a sore body. Thanks again, it's hard to get any plan through his thick skull. Rest easy friend."

"Same to you" said Aki, nodding off to her as she left and Morda walked off the other way to hand off the scroll to a local message carrier. She walked up to him and showed off a rather large pouch of bills and coins.

"Side pay from the two for the quick job. Let's get out of here before the actual team shows up and we really get into a brawl" said Kiyo. Aki shook his head and lead them off the bridge near the north side, shifting through the busier crowd of miners to the exit at the far side. As soon as they made it out of town they pushed the pace again. They covered as much ground as they could, making little rest for the rest of the day until they came to a stop for camp that night.

"Do you think we did the right thing there? Really, don't lie to me. Should we have left them to stay undercover longer?" asked Kiyo, letting out her confidence and showing her anxiety. She worried that stunt would help the group but it would leave them a trail for Iwa to follow if they caught on quickly enough.

"We did a good job, and the right thing. The greater the risk, the greater the reward that follows. We'll need to hold off on doing that too much here but just a singular incident should fly under the radar and help us a little with future movement. Just focus on rest, we'll make it to the springs in a few days and we can relax there.

*Yawn* "Sounds ok to me, I'll see you in the morning."

Next day

Kisuchi kept quiet as he looked over the calm town, not seeing any kind of hostilities between the two. Earlier he had surveyed the area and saw them worked together in agreement, already in some kind of set up manner.

' _If they already have everything sorted why did they ask for a team for diplomatic diffusion?'_ thought the burly jonin before his own daughter showed up, her two teammates landing just after him.

"Kitara said two ronin we sent fixed the issue the day and sent the contract back to the village" said Kurotsuchi.

"Did they say anything about where they were headed?"

"Yea, tou-san. One mentioned resting at the hot springs nearby often but nothing solid besides that."

The man nodded his head and waved them to follow him "Move out team, we'll check there before reporting it in to Onoki. We might catch a break and get them there and solve this issue quickly. Keep up pace, we don't want to miss our window if they did head there right after."

"Yes sir!" shouted the three before moving behind the jonin as they ran across the rocky landscape.

Three days later

Kiyo hummed to herself as she undressed, sliding a towel on and moving to the springs. She moved around the inn, entering the springs and forgoing her town as she dipped down into the water and let her body soak. Just as the water made it up to her neck she let a soft sigh escape her lips, the soothing spring water allowing her to finally relax in the water.

"Nice to see you again" said a voice much to familiar for Kiyo's liking. She spun quickly in the water, seeing Naruto barely poking his head above the water as he faced the rock face.

"W-what are you dong here?! In this side, I mean here in general! And why….are you facing that way?"

"In order, cause we stopped here a few hours ago cause it seemed like a good idea. On this side, because it's mixed bathing day so they moved it to one spring for cleaning and I'm facing this way so I don't see anything until you're all the way under water."

"Oh…you can turn around then. Umm...nice to see you too….Naruto." Naruto spun around and smiled, moving a hand to show Yugao resting her head on the rock next to him, she only didn't notice them because of the thick steam coating the area. She could only see Yugao up to her collarbone, her eyes were closed and she seemed to be barely awake over there. Then the door slid open and Naruto's eyes lit up before a smile spread across his face.

"Welcome Aki!" Kiyo turned her head to see the poorly confused boy, not understanding why everyone he just left was now in the same spring as him, in the same area, at the same time. Then, his mind decided it wasn't important right now and dipped into the water, taking off the towel as he entered the water to preserve his modesty.

"Long time no see" said the brown haired boy, moving near Kiyo as Naruto kept his position nearby Yugao who had yet to acknowledge anyone.

"It's a wonder we met here at the same time. What have you two done?" asked Aki.

"Not much, just been avoiding a large anbu unit headed back to the village. They were pretty spread out when we were resting a little farm town south west of here. It got dicey but we doing fine."

"By fine you mean we killed one that was terrorizing the town and sent a clone to impersonate him till they got far enough away for us to leave. Placed evidence he was killed farther out with another clone and left a trail leading the opposite direction. What trouble did you get into?" asked Yugao, lifting her head up and resting her elbows on the ledge behind her.

"Helped sort out a spat between two mining villages over a new spot each one found at the same time. They suspected us as ronin employed from Iwagakure after they sent an assistance letter a few days before. Glad we aren't the only ones that got into some kind of trouble out here" said Kiyo with a sigh. She was really worried they may have really messed up then. Aki turned to her and they seemed to carry off on a conversation about something to deal with future travels but Naruto noticed Yugao seemed to focus behind her, her eyes darting off and seemed in her own world.

"What's wrong?" asked Naruto quietly as not to interrupt his teammates conversation.

"Four chakra signatures, three genin level and one mid jonin about a mile out now moving at a slower pace. Might be a team trailing from that village from their mission" said the purple haired woman, glancing behind her again.

"Can you estimate a time limit?" asked Naruto. He would try to sense but long distance wasn't his strong suit without using Hitome's chakra.

"Probably around fifteen minutes till they get close enough to dig us out as ninja, five more till they start moving for us."

Naruto sighed "I tried to get some rest here, sorry it didn't work out so well."

Yugao shrugged "I'm used to it, anbu life after all. Do we want to tell them?"

"Tell us what?" asked Kiyo, now listening in since her conversation had ended.

"I won't sugarcoat it now. Yugao sensed a team of most likely Iwa ninja making their way here. We've got maybe fifteen minutes before they find their way to the springs." Aki swore, Kiyo only frowned, extremely unhappy with the sudden change of events. They all only just arrived and the situation was forcing them to leave.

Naruto sat up higher in the water "Look, we don't have far to go to get out of here but you guys still have a small trek left for you. We'll trail them off of you two and lead them out of the town while you two sneak away. I don't want them thinking theirs more of us right now and I do what to see how these Iwa ninja really are. The economies shit and that sometimes reflects on one's own army."

"We aren't gonna lea-"

"I'll be easier to fight without looking over my shoulder" said Yugao.

"Then I'll catch their attention while you make sure these two make it out of the springs then circle back to help you. I'll lure them northwest and you can just curve right after dropping these two off to meet up with me."

"Alright, I'll see you then" said Yugao before she stood abruptly and walked back into her room, not having much shame since she was the only one to wear a swimsuit she was renting from the shop. Naruto let Kiyo go next, covering his eyes until she grabbed a towel before he and Aki returned to their room as well.

"I really wish we could have stayed longer. It really is a nice place to relax in" said Aki, sighing a little as he began to wrap his body back up, putting on his underwear first before doing so.

"Yeah but we shouldn't have gotten so comfortable anyway. It's enemy territory right now, even as ronin. They'll really want me dead and any foreign ninja is enemy to Iwa unless proven otherwise. I'm glad we just didn't get caught empty handed in the springs" responded Naruto as he finished putting his clothes on and began to wrap his arms up once more in the black wrapping. During the short time he left them open, he found the stares to get annoying and any ninja knew that they were certainly for something and he lost some surprise value with it. It was best he kept them hidden unless he really started to fight all out. More surprises the better chances he had. As he finished wrapping his arms Aki was done getting fully dressed, strapping his sword onto his hip. Within half a minute Naruto already sensed Yugao moving towards the edge of the springs, waiting for his two teammates.

"Let's move quickly, I don't have long to make it to the edge of town" said the blonde.

* * *

With Naruto

A barrage of kunai and a well-placed explosive tag caught their attention before he took off towards the edge of town. He could get a much clearer sense of the jonin and his group. The large man Kitsuchi was well versed in large scale earth jutsu, he read his updated entry recently but his genin team was almost nothing but. His daughter, and the granddaughter of the current kage had plenty of reserves for a decent fight for mid chunin and her two teammates were probably classified as low chunin from their chakra and reaction time. Overall, an easy mission for him. He would tread carefully till Yugao got there and then the playing field would be weighted to their side.

The jonin wanted to cease the chase quickly so he dashed ahead at a fairly well-timed spot, something his team barely recognized but Naruto was different. To him, it was riddled with flaws. He timed it against his landing, going after as soon as he jumped forward so he didn't have a chance to touch back down and he could subdue the blonde. However, from the days with Akatsuki, he had been in plenty of the same situations. He came up on Naruto quickly but as the man neared he dove head first down towards the roof of a house they were over and swung his left leg high, forcing him to block and come to a stop in midair as his three genin team was a few meters behind.

The jonin saw the tag float from his hand and towards them, knowing full well it was a flash seal etched into the paper. He caught a fleeting glimpse of her as he looked back, seeing nothing but a neutral expression before he disappeared in a shunsin as the note went off and robbed them of their sight.

"Agh, damnit!" shouted Kurotsuchi, crashing down with her teammates as her father landed nearby. The blindness war off quickly but it was painful at first since the three genin were looking directly at the paper, wondering what it was before it went off. After a minute the group had regained most of their sight, save for a few black dots still floated around and the trio looked to the large man.

"He's really agile, sensei" said Akatsuchi, rubbing his left eye.

"He's not just another low rank ronin, that was a calculated and well-planned move from experience. When we intercept, watch each other's backs and I'll face him off first. Step in only if you see things one sided or I call for you."

"We can all go at her father!"

"No, listen to my orders. He's not a normal ronin. Move out" said the man, leaving no room for argument as they chased off in the direction he assumed the boy to be moving towards.

X

Naruto skidded to a stop as the team landed behind him, catching up quickly since Naruto slowed his pace down just for them. He turned and smiled, waving to the four.

"May I help you four? I don't take kindle to ninja following me when I'm trying to defect from my village."

"Defect? What bullshit! What village sent you to spy on us!?" shouted the pink eyed girl and Naruto tiled his head.

"No one, I hail from Ame but I wanted out of this life. I'm moving to the border intent to live past the elemental nations."

"Whatever your purpose, you interfered in village politics and just attacked us moments ago. I'm going to have to ask you to come with us for questioning."

Naruto frowned "I know how Iwa questions people. After it's done you get rid of them if they aren't anything valuable. Everyone knows. You're a village for power, not for economical, not right now at least."

"Our village is-"

"Terrible in merchant sales, creating clothes is nearly disappeared, carpentry and other large buildings are done by out sourcing and only the ninja have decent wages to sustain a nice life. All because you pride military over anything else. Disgusting really, even Kumo knows how to mix the both. Oh, pardon my manners I am speaking to relatives of the current kage" Naruto bowed "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, former genin of Ame. Pleasure to meet you."

Kitsuchi motioned for his daughter to hold her tongue "How do you know of our relations?"

Naruto's smile appeared once more "Ever wonder who used to run Ame? The head of the Akatsuki which your kage has paid for high class sabotage missions all for the sake of 'strengthening the military.' What was that mission again? Hmmm?" The jonin was no longer going to sit idle as this kid spoke of village secrets and made a dash for him, throwing two kunai right for his head. Naruto ducked under the two and swung his fist, meeting the open palm of the large man who made a grave mistake. Just as his fist touched it began to push with much greater power than he'd anticipated, throwing him back and skidding across the rocky terrain past his team. At that point the three moved after the blonde, seeing that as the point to let their sensei recover. What only pissed Kurotsuchi off was the ever present smile on his face, like he was just having a little play date.

"Die, Ame scum!" she shouted, thrusting a kunai forward acting in the exact way they'd practiced. Naruto brought his left hand up quickly, connecting with her wrist and making her drop the kunai which his right hand grabbed. He used that weapon to block the sword of her skinny teammate on his right before sending a kick to his gut and pushing him back a few meters. As that happened Naruto sensed the buildup of chakra below them and heard someone shout from behind.

" **Earth release: Earth Spikes!"** Both genin looked down, seeing the tips began to protrude but Naruto glanced up to see his black haired opponent unmoved in fear. This wasn't part of the plan, he was supposed to wait until she was out of range but she wasn't fast enough to avoid this jutsu without it piercing her leg. Just then, she felt herself get jerked forwards before she hit the ground. Kurotsuchi looked up to see Naruto skidding to a stop a few feet from her, looking at her with concern.

"Are you ok? I told you I'm not here to fight and I wasn't trying to fight you all." Her shocked look was all she could muster, fully expecting him to have let her get impaled, not save her. However, it did little as her father came back seeing her on the ground next to their current enemy.

"Get away from her!" shouted the man, shoot off much faster than before and covering the distance in a split second. Naruto looked to him but he wasn't smiling, or frowning, his face remained neutral as a rock covered fist neared him.

"I give and give and this is how you treat me, huh?" said the blonde before the jonin was kicked off across from his daughter by the sudden appearance of Yugao.

"Nice to see you made it in time. I starting to get mad at these guys" said Naruto, his smile back on. He nodded for Kurotsuchi to move and she quickly moved back to her now regrouping team.

"Recon team is two hours out by last estimation from our scouting. We have less than fifteen minutes before they'll most likely sense the chakra being thrown around" said the anbu, moving to his left side while the jonin rushed to his team's side, now facing off against two ninja. He saw the mark on her arm, Konoha anbu. Not good but the blonde was what worried him the most. He looked just like his team, a kid in all the means, but fought nothing like one. He'd never met someone able to toss him around like that either, not without some serious chakra behind the punch. They needed more information before he could let them run off.

"Hey, now. Don't get funny ideas" said Naruto pointing right at him. "I just saved your daughter from losing a leg or worse from a teammate that can't cast jutsu properly and then you tried to punch my face in. I'm on my last leg of kindness here."

"He isn't lying, as much as I hate even admitting it." Naruto let them whisper amongst themselves for a few seconds, he wasn't worried much about what was going on. They could make it to the border in no time at all and he had plenty of cards to play if things got dicey. Only the current kage, or a jinchuuriki would put a monkey wrench in his plans now.

The man turned to the two assumed ronin "Fine, I'll let you two go only for the sake of what happened here."

Naruto tilted his head "What do you mean? Nothing's happened at all." Kitsuchi couldn't help but smirk, he got the message loud and clear. The blonde motioned to his teammate before looking to Kurotsuchi and nodded to her, adding a wave to her father before they took off to the border.

"If I ever see them again it'll be too soon" said the man, sighing heavily. In all honesty he was worried, about both of those two. That anbu was skilled to avoid his sensed till she appeared and the blonde seemed confident and prepared enough to take on all of them alone. He looked familiar but he wasn't able to place anything solid down. He turned to his team and moved them on. He agreed this didn't happen so they needed to head out and report the failed mission.

* * *

Four hours later

" _ **That wasn't very smart to leave Iwa ninja alive like that. You know their reputation with other villages. The pink eyed girls attitude only gave it more credit for you."**_

" _ **She's the granddaughter of the kage, if we killed her, or did too much damage to her or her father we'd have a mountain rolling at us in no time. The border we're heading to is the only reason he even let us go since they're too afraid to go past it after the last war."**_

" _ **Hmm, are you trying to befriend a kage candidate? I didn't think you'd be so keen to move through a village intent to kill any foreign ninja just to plan that far ahead."**_

" _ **Iwa has been a very nasty place for as long as it's stood but the new generation always brings promise, and with that compromise is possible. When we make our appearance in the next few years I'll need every bit of leverage I can get my hands on."**_

" _ **Very well, I see your point Naruto-kun. Be safe, you've left the lions den for a dragon's nest."**_

" _ **I'm always safe"**_ said the blonde, just knowing she rolled her eyes before he ducked down to the bottom of the trees as his partner followed suit.

"The tree line ends soon and it'll only get worse from there so let's make camp and rest."

"Alright." She began to unpack and take out some prepackaged food as Naruto followed suit, neither starting a fire knowing it would only revel their location. Once both had settled in and prepared some food they sat down near one another, both resting against their own tree.

"So, what really lies ahead? Kakashi-senpai filled me in on the black ops part of this mission. Try to make it past this nation and get a current outlook on the summoner lands due to the lack of connection so suddenly from every village."

"To put this bluntly, we're on a suicide mission right now. As the elemental land was forming the villages, this small end of the world wanted nothing to do with it so a clan once shunned by them came forward to act as guards. It gave them purpose, a means to leave where they were hated and live in solitude as the guardians of the border. Since then, they've always been here, guarding everything that lies beyond from any hostile ninja. A few made it through to the summoner lands a decade or so ago, only by a narrow margin with a confrontation between the guards and some unknown force. We know the demon clan is still as powerful as ever and the summoner land seemed to be moving into a much more chaotic land. Something happened to the former group in power, the Tiger summon, which kept everyone in check before our contacts went dark. The only way we have any decent chance is by moving as a small unit, trying to either sneak past and hope they see us as nothing to worry over or we just go undetected."

"What if we get caught?"

"Kill whatever moves and push past. This is why it's considered a suicide mission. We don't know anything about their forces or powers but if were quick we should be fine."

Yugao groaned "I can't believe Kakashi put me in this."

"A few weeks ago you were fully prepared to die on any mission given. What's the issue?" asked Naruto getting a glare from her.

"I got my will to live back so I kinda don't want to go off dying just after I do. Defeats the purpose."

"We can't all be winners now, Yugao."

"Yeah, cause we'll be dead."

"So negative, think of the positive!"

"We might get captured and tortured by means never heard of in our lands?" Naruto deflated, giving up on trying to get through. He knew it was useless at that point but there was something he was ready to finally get moving again. From here on out they were going to be fighting for every inch of ground in unknown territory, with an uncertain future. Just like he liked it.

* * *

2 ½ years later

"Hokage-sama, urgent news!" shouted a chunin, rushing into the office with a letter already opened.

"What is it Iruka?" asked Tsunade, used to his slightly more…uncalled for shouting.

"Our scouts just got word a huge castle just appeared between Takigakure and Otogakure!" Tsunade's confused expression was all that gave him a response to which he reacted by handing her a letter. On it was the location of where he spoke of and a picture of a massive stone structure towering even the kage tower. It most likely stood nearly at the height of the hokage monument, a much larger structure than any village held. Her main concern was how it just appeared from thin air so suddenly and how Takigakure hadn't contacted them over the issue. They always relied on Konoha for major threats and this certainly qualified as one.

"Iruka, call Shizune from her office and tell her I need Jiraiya here this instant. I know he's been snooping around the village recently and we haven't got the time to waste." The chunin saluted and rushed off down the hall, shutting the door as he left.

"Nice place, taking a vacation there?" asked Jiraiya from behind her suddenly, making her jump a little. He was always the greater of the three at staying hidden, much to Orochimaru's ire.

"No, this just appeared from thin air between Oto and Taki. We haven't gotten word from Taki and that's slightly concerning. Do you think the Akatsuki may have gotten to them for their jinchuuriki?"

Jiraiya shrugged "Probably not, they have been really dormant for the past few years. I haven't gotten a single lead on them so they really are laying low right now." Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him and dismissed the hidden anbu before sealing the room off and standing to meet him at a more even level. His expression only changed a little, he was surprised but showed nothing more beyond that.

"What aren't you telling me? I swear if you pull some shit out your ass I'll let you meet sensei quicker than Orochimaru can go after boys."

Jiraiya held his hands up in defense before stepping back a little "No need to get violent, I didn't want to say anything until you secured the place. Sit down, you won't like what you hear." The only female sanin huffed, upset he riled her up just to do that before sitting down and waiting rather impatiently for an explanation.

"It belongs to…..well…..that group of Naruto's I was telling you about, or I assume it does. That's in the same spot he spoke about plotting it a few years back." Tsunade tapped her finger, wanting more.

"Itachi is always around so he probably put up a strong genjutsu and kept it constantly strengthened so no one ever found out about it. I spoke with a contact in Taki recently and they said they saw Sasori of the Red Sand hanging around at one point, someone that is in Akatsuki but he doesn't wear the cloak anymore. I suspect…." He left it open and Tsunade's eyes widened considerable.

"You don't think he….no….impossible….not with those kind of people! Even he can't do something like that!"

"It's just a hunch but we might be on to something. I'll look into it as soon as-" The sanin stopped when a toad appeared in front of him, holding a letter without a name label.

"Huh, I never get blanks from any contact." He opened it and Tsunade leaned over a little to see what it was. Inside the envelope was a letter addressed to him.

 _Hey Perv, long time no see huh? Look, to cut things short no worries if a random castle shows up between Taki and Oto. They're both cool with it since I forced Kakuzu to pay them properly for it which he really didn't take a liking too. Who cares?! I'm still his favorite kid in the world, he'd spoil me whenever I asked unless it was to burn money._

 _Back on track! I hope everything well with you and Tsunade? I got wind she's still kicking as kage so I'm glad she found a place she can call home now. She deserves it after everything she's gone through. You need one too but you're a pervy spy so I don't expect to see you settle down anytime soon. Well, let Tsunade know if she needs some stronger ninja for missions to give us a ring and I'll send a team right over. I've got more letters to write so on with it._

 _Take care, ya here?_

Clipped to the bottom of the letter was a picture with a large group of people. He could clearly make out Naruto in front, smiling brightly with Konan and Itachi at his sides. He could see Naruto's team from Ame just behind him, Yugao directly behind him, Sasuke next to Itachi, some of the Akatsuki members he was looking into, Zabuza and a mass of other people sitting on a large set of stairs outside. All in all, it looked like a happy group photo, albeit, a large group he wasn't expecting. The sanin quickly pocketed it, not wanting Tsunade to take too long of a look but he handed her the note to read. She skimmed it quickly then tossed it over her shoulder as not to rip it.

"I'm sending a letter right now. Right fucking now! I want more than this! Sasuke's there and Yugao too?! They both stopped sending reports in!" shouted Tsunade, scribbling a note before handing it to the frog that quickly disappeared as she set her sights on Jiraiya.

"What have you done, Jiraiya!?"

"I did nothing!"

* * *

Naruto stretched a little, walking around his new office which was much larger than he anticipated. It was easily double the size of the one in Konoha for its kage but this place was big after all. It could house all of the current members, each of their two followers as well as the 200 other members now secretly, or openly, worked for him. Those in secret were scattered across the world, keeping an eye on area's some never thought they would recruit at. Other obvious members, those not in position needing to hide their letters, were commonly on the move, not all but many. Most worked as curriers, some worked as transportation and others moved as freelance ronin for smaller towns and villages. This system kept their network wide and if something appeared that was too far above their pay grade a Knight, or team of Knights was called.

Lastly, the castle itself had a constant guard around the perimeter and many workers inside he finished sorting out with Konan. At the main gate in the front were always two ninja, three groups stood in rotating shifts acting as guards as well as watchmen for the front. Inside, atop four towers were ever present spotters, also in three sets of rotating shifts with the sole job of looking for any movement across the horizon. After the guards were the maids, or maid really. One woman handled most of the cleaning of the home due to her unique abilities but there were others to help out with some portions. Outside, a few of the members that had moved into the castle took care of grounds keep as well as taking care of the cooking and in house medical staff. Naruto did remember he and a few others had picked up a few…guests that stayed here without assisting in really anything but there was a special case for those handful.

Just then a knock came to his door.

"Yes?" It opened and Yugao walked in, still wearing her normal outfit from the trip but changing the colors every so often.

"Time to put those new clothes on, you've got a meeting with the Mizukage in fifteen minutes and she's already been spotted with Squad Three on approach."

The blonde sighed "We've only been here a few weeks and were already moving on issues. I can't catch much of a break anymore. I'll be in the meeting room in a few minutes, wait for me there please."

"I know, no need to bark orders _your majesty_ " said the purple haired woman sarcastically before exiting. Naruto chuckled a bit, their relationship had improved drastically during the trip and now they took any chance to make side jokes at the others expense, all in good fun. He moved across the room, opening the door behind his desk and walking into a fairly large closed, equipped with his new wardrobe and other outfits. This allowed him to keep busy in his office and change if necessary without traveling all the way to his bedroom across the grounds.

The blonde quickly swapped his gear for the new attire and admired the new look he now sported. On top was a plain white shirt, armored as his old vest was but with new design it was now threaded into the very fabric and allowed for the same protection with lighter, less noticeable, looks. On top was a solid black long sleeved suit like jacket, trimmed with gold and fully buttoned to high chest, leaving the high collar open to reveal his shirt. Shown over the jacket, hung around his neck, was the Uzumaki clan symbol proudly on display while etched on the back similar to his fathers cloak was the word 'King'. Below that he had on matching black pants and lightweight shinobi boots for ease of movement in changing situations. On his hands were two things, a pair of plain white gloves to hide some of the seals the sleeves didn't and small chain link bracelets on each arm, etched with seals. These seals acted as his wrap used to, keeping the demonic aura at bay during normal activity but they didn't work well once he entered combat.

Concluding the entire piece he placed a golden cross earing, centered with a blood red ruby on his left ear. This symbolized his status as King within the group. All knights not undercover wore a similar version, but silver instead. Only Yugao's was pitch black instead of polishes silver, signifying her position as the King's Guard. Any normal member not undercover wore silver rings, crowned with the same blood red ruby. All were etched with seals and what no one spoke of was the ruby wasn't initially that. It started as a pale gem and with the addition of the members blood, turned it crimson. This acted as a reverse summon and emergency contact to all Knight Squad Commanders within a certain area of activation. It gave off a location but allowed for reverse summon as well if the situation dictates. The crosses worked in the exact same manner as the rings did. The only difference between Naruto and the Knights was that Naruto had a ring on, also gold with a ruby however his were the master copies. They could cease all summon and action of other items no matter the distance in case someone did break the seal lock and try to hunt down the members by reverse summon or tracking through beacons the rings emitted.

He gave a short nod after another glance over before exiting the room, heading down the hall and through a few corridors then arriving at the meeting room. This was the smaller version of the other one, which was called the war room. It was for a meeting as this, for a group or two, not holding the Knights meeting or a meeting between multiple parties. As he made it inside he saw someone he was positive wasn't allowed in this room, for the moment at least.

"Nekomi, leave. I'm sure Yugao said you aren't supposed to be around right now. Wait until after were finished and you can nap in here" said the blonde sternly and he gained a pout from the woman before she slinked away into an adjacent room until they were done. She was fairly small, only about 4'11" in height, certainly not a ninja in build either. Her dress was very formal, a well ironed and seemed similar in dress to a maid minus the frills, the length nearly touching her ankles and the entire piece was all royal blue.

Her cat ears and twin tail also set her apart from being human as well. She was one of the 'guests' at the castle Konan actually came across in her travel. A Neko, an extremely rare breed of half human, half demon cat. The story goes children left alone are sometimes adopted by stray demons that wander the worlds shadows, almost always staying far from the world's affairs. She was such one, raised by a demon cat which over time at a developing age gave her the traits of a cat, or demon cat. Which was why the ears and tail seemed like red flowing flames, tipped in blue and her deep blue cat like eyes. Her traits for napping and generally being very playful around the grounds were very well known to all, not all good.

"So, prepared to finally meet the Mizukage in person? You only exchanged letters and let Konan handle the issues that arose. Count yourself lucky you are meeting as a much more…..grown up looking version of yourself than you were two and a half years ago."

"Your pitiful excuse for side jabs aren't going to break me this time" said Naruto confidently with a smile but she returned with her own as she moved next to him, sensing the group was making their way there.

"Oh really? A pitiful excuse like the one where you had to 'really get sleep alone since it was so hot' when we had that young woman traveling with us in the summoner lands?" Naruto's smile dropped and he could hear Hitome's growl at the reminder of the woman.

"OK ok, don't bring that up. Hitome get's really pissed when we talk about her."

"She ought to, that girl was wild and certainly wasn't afraid to go after you, in a 'relationship' or not" said the guard, using air quoted around relationship.

"You know damn well it is a real one, at least in emotion. I remember quite vividly that she was wild, wild enough to hit on you every time I turned her down." The small blush that crept on her now straight face said all he needed to hear before turning. The small talk between the two quickly died when the door opened, revealing the Mizukage, two body guards and Squad Three. He stepped forward and greeted the Mizukage first, someone he certainly wouldn't deny was a looker. She had a ninja body but her assets were certainly more endowed than most, rivaling Tsunade in that department. He knew the two guards as well, Ao, a former hunter ninja, and anbu as well as the newest member of the Seven Swordsmen, Chojuro.

"Welcome to my castle, Mizukage-dono. As you know I'm Naruto and that is my guard Yugao. It's a pleasure to finally see you in person. I apologize for the past two years of letters, I was out of the nation the entire time." They both shook hands before Mei spoke with a smile

"Mei Terumi, the pleasure is mine Naruto-dono. Please call me Mei, first names are so much more relaxing than using titles, makes me feel old too. This is Ao, a trusted confidant and body guard as well as my other bodyguard and new swordsmen Chojuro. I apologize for not mentioning them in the last letter, the advisors insisting I bring my own guard since I'll be moving alone back home. Now I do want to say no worries on the letters, it's been some time since I've had a pen pal of sorts like you! It reminded me of my genin days when I would write to my friend in Suna."

Naruto returned the smile "Thank you for letting me off and I hope my men haven't caused much trouble through the village?"

"Not much, the two swordsmen tend to get a little rowdy but nothing their leader can't handle." Naruto looked to the Squad, seeing Ren, Zabuza and even Hidan standing a somewhat attention.

"We can have a report of everything later today. Go relax for a little and get settled in if you already haven't."

"Yes sir" said the three most certainly not in unison before exiting the room, Hidan shutting it with a massive grin to Naruto as he pointed to Mei from behind. The blonde refrained from shaking his head, he knew something like that was bound to happen with Hidan around. He quickly motioned for the woman to sit at the circular table in the middle of the room before he took up post at the other side, both flanked by their guards.

"Tell me, how did you hide such a massive building for so long? We've been perplexed, wondering if our scouts were possibly…..redirected in some way." He got the meaning, she was wondering if they had bribed, used a genjutsu on them or had them working for his group. He knew that would come.

"Simple really, as an Uzumaki seals came naturally to me so my first priority before even getting the foundation down was putting up seals to protect this place. It was already barely used as a route, only a few ninja a month would pass by here throughout the year. After adding a suppression seal and cloaking the area we added specialized seals nearby which acted as a deterrent for any ninja not really looking for this place. It routed them just around the grounds and kept it safe during construction and we used heavy guards for the supply movement." Mei showed little surprised but Ao and Chojuro were certainly in awe at what went into it and how easily he talked about it. To them, he was a barely 16 something teen but it seemed Mei knew much more than she let on.

"I'm glad one of the few remaining Uzumaki shows such a talent for a dying art. I remember hearing of the Uzumaki's when I was a child. They were feared by so many, able to use such complicated seals, wield weapons like a demon and reserves kage would pale at. You show that same fire. I didn't misplace my faith in you, I see."

"I always deliver, Mei-dono. Now, down to business. What did you want to speak about?"

"Yes, that's a little private. I'd like it if we were alone please."

"Of course, Yugao you can wait outside." "Ao, Chojuro, follow suit." Without a word the guards bowed and left the room, taking station outside the door and leaving the two leaders alone.

Naruto leaned forward, taking a much more serious stance "So, we're alone. What is it you wishes to tell me?"

Mei batted the perverted thoughts away before speaking "You spoke of some plan with my village, and whatever else joined in our scheme but only mentioned giving power back to the village that was taken. What is it your referring too?" Naruto sighed, he knew this would come up but he wished it hadn't. It was still too early to get anywhere near activating the second step of the plan but as the kage she deserved to know.

"Who holds power over the ninja and what involved them? Untouched and solitary power?"

"The kage, or a village leader if ninja are used in smaller towns."

"Correct and who holds all other power, and rivals the kage with it? Who controls that and the funds the village gets from mission taxes and other contracts."

Mei's eyes narrowed "The….Daimyo."

"Correct again, that is the initial target of this grand scheme. They control alliances with a heavy hand, trade routes, small villages are pushed around by the Feudal Lords and they control a large portion of money and for what? Why do we allow them rule over the main village in such manners? They control every aspect of civilians with little interference allowed from the kage while mission taxes all go to them, forcing the village to rely on the leftover payout, regular taxes usual cut small and whatever amount the Daimyo gives them back. What is gained here? The ease in knowing some book worms with little knowledge in the real world are bartering your nation's livelihood with a pampered child? As if!

If we create such a department in the village, running secular but under the kage's rule and checked by either a second committee of elected officials what's the need of the daimyo? Nothing particularly. Money can be regulated with the kage and the treasury already in place, just add a few more members to help with the influx of money and changing system." Mei seemed to show nothing as Naruto spoke, leaning in a little more than before as he spoke but stayed silent until he stopped which signaled her turn to speak.

"I see, quite a bold move but there is an issue with that. The power is what all villages are held by, every single one. If you kill, say Konoha's and mine then you have destroyed a trade route between other villages without the daimyo's men to continue talks. Not to mention, the other villages will retaliate at such a massive uproar in the system and security on the rest will tighten severely due to that. What do you say to that?"

"I don't see much of an issue. My current goal is your village, Suna and Konoha but that one will most likely be a shadow mission so they aren't directly connected to the killing. It could cause issues, turning Iwa, Kumo and Konoha against us but there's a solution to solve the turning of focus to your villages. If we take claim to killing the three at the same time, under the guise of 'terrorist actions' you are not seen as employers but victims. From there, the plan gets much more complicated and convoluted. After that stage, it'll be solely in our hands, with just the normal assistance we already ask for in exchange for able ninja to help with missions."

Mei leaned back and crossed her arms "This is a very bold move, but you did say this isn't going to take place right now either. I'll agree to the same contract this year but I want a full briefing before you even thing of moving for this plan otherwise we will take it as a real declaration of war. Is this clear, Naruto-dono?"

Naruto nodded his head "Of course, Mei-dono. I wouldn't do such an underhanded tactic to allies. It defeats the purpose of us trying to fix this world of its current plagues. Is there anything else?"

"Besides that, not at all. I expect to see Squad Three in a few weeks for their next mission and I do hope to see a letter with the normal progress report every month as you have been doing."

"I'll make sure everything falls in order just as we planned it too. The letter will be sent before the first moon next month" said Naruto as they both stood and he walked her to the door. He opened it and let her walk past, seeing the three guards now moving to cover their respective members.

"You spoke of staying the night here and exploring what the place has to offer today over the letter, did you not?"

"I did, Naruto-dono." Naruto snapped his finger with his right hand and a maid walked out from the room where Nekomi had walked into earlier. It was plainly obvious to be a maid, her outfit and demeaner gave it all away. She seemed perfectly mannered as well, keeping a neutral expression as she walked with her hands folding in front of her. Her long silver hair reached nearly too her knees as two braids on either side rested down to her waist with slightly off cut bangs in front.

"This is Silver, the head housekeeper. She will walk you to your room and if you need her just snap. She will appear as soon as possible to assist you in any way. Do be mindful, she understands you, but she is mute. Only sign language and basic gestures are her form of communication. I'll see you all for dinner then. Enjoy your stay." The trio bowed their heads, thanking the blonde silently before the maid began to move, guiding the Mizu ninja through the castle. **(The name is due to her hair and eye color being silver, not as an intension to seem familiar to Silver((Selkie)) in The Ancient Magus Bride.)**

"Time for the next meeting then. Meeting after meeting, greeeaaatttt" drawled out Naruto, walking down a long flight of stairs.

"You'll be fine, this one is more relaxed with your own Knights, not a foreign power."

"Frankly, it's worse for me right now. They aren't afraid to judge me how they see fit and shout it out, unlike the Mizukage who would keep the comment more reserved." Yugao seemed to ponder that before laughing a little. That was certainly the case if she remembered some of the members correctly. She would have teased him but wasn't left with time as they entered the large war room set at the top of the center building of the castle where a throne room would normally be.

The second the door opened the room was already a mess, most of everyone seemed seating except for Ren who was wrestling with Zabuza to get him off Hidan, restrained by Deidara.

' _Kill me now.'_ "Everyone, get off each other and sit down please! We've got a meeting you barely have to attend in person. Deal with it for a few minutes." At the entrance of the blonde everyone seemed to settle down and moved to their seats. Here Naruto could see all the teams as well as the extra few extra's that used to work under the Akatsuki banner.

There were three squads, Naruto being captain of Squad One, as well as the King, and Yugao as his body guard. Itachi was his second in command as king and squad leader but he had no official assistant members. He was tasked with dealing with Kakuzu and Deidara as a pair, both which attended the mandatory meetings, Shizune's letters and the anbu working inside Konoha for him. Sasuke was the last member and the field medic of the group with his assistants being Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo. Currently, he is the only one allowed for three assistants as he travels mostly, requiring extra support in certain situations.

Squad Two was Konan as lead, Sasori as her second in command and Shizune as the combat medic. With Shizune currently undercover with Tsunade Naruto gave her permission to recruit a shinobi from the land she was currently contracted to help build better relations with, Snow. She had long since taken over the land for Mrs. Fugikaze and instilled their most skilled ninja, one of the few high level ninja left alive, to work for them. He agreed, seeing as a better alternative then living a life as a ronin for his days. Konan was currently the field medic for the group without Shizune but she was still needed in reverse summon from time to time.

Squad Three was led by his former sensei Ren, with Hidan and the new member Zabuza of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He chose to go with them as his alternative was to stay in Kiri, something he was passionately against after the war they were involved with there. He held no grudge against the new kage but it wasn't something he could consider home anymore. They did act as lesion between the two but currently they were tasked with multiple missions from the new kage, Mei Terumi. The village was recovering from the clan cleansing still and the need for ninja in high level settings required so the group was almost solely Kiri based at the moment.

Squad Zero was a squad that didn't exist on paper, or in any form of writing throughout the castle. They were ghosts to all but the Knights. Aki was the current leader, Orochimaru acted as the field medic but he was mainly stationed at his hideouts or the Knights own areas as Aki moved for missions. Kiyo was Aki's right hand and a Knight, the only other one that regularly accompanied him on missions as his backup. They worked well enough together Orochimaru only joined if the situation showed means for a stronger opponent inside. Kabuto was the only reserve member in any squad, acting as Orochimaru would for missions if he deemed the task to menial for his presence but needed an extra set of hands. Only Orochimaru held assistants, both being Tayuya and Jirobo as Naruto had suggested. The sanin did see promise in the two and gave room for that, showering them with attention, not all wanted, but enough to train them in new levels they never thought possible.

This was their first meeting after being separated for two and a half years as well as the first to mark an in-person event. They are allowed to send clones, which are reversed summoned once in range by a waiting sensor within the castle most meetings but they convey at least three times a year in person. Now, with the fully sorted and newly created group everything was set and ready for their official move into the spotlight.

"I hope everyone made it ok. I'll get right down to business so everyone can enjoy the rest of the day off. I already received reports from everyone in the past week and I'm glad to see things are moving smoothly but with that said now is the time things will get difficult. The villages will know of our existence and those not currently with us will attempt to follow, obstruct or detain us as 'terrorist threats' so please be mindful of that traveling.

On to everyone's tasks for now. Itachi, I need you acting as a diplomat for Konoha, contact Jiraiya and Tsunade directly. While you are there, diplomatic immunity does apply due to us currently registered as a political entity land holder under Oto and Taki law. Let that be known when you see Tsunade please, I don't want a report of you setting her off for fun. While you there, check up on Shizune when you can and keep an eye on Danzo and his men. Your presence alone should deter most issues but nothing is set in stone with him. Sasuke, take your team and continue reaching contact points, gathering intel from Sasori's men and check up on our freelance members. I might send you and your team on a mission ever so often for smaller villages in your area so stay sharp.

Konan, your group will continue the work in Snow and do your best to train the new ninja. Take a few training scrolls if you need to and try to find a good leader or two before you leave to help the village a little. They wrote they're pleased with the progress and help but there's a lot to do and we can't leave them alone just yet. Once they say your done, or issues arise, I need you to move to crescent moon island, we have some notices of rebellion in the kingdom that Itachi and Sasuke helped take back over.

Ren, keep your team in Mizu working on missions and whatever else Mei-dono asks of you but I may have a few contracts needing your attention within the next few weeks from Konoha. Itachi will be there but they may have a mission closer to your location which you will be sent instead of Itachi.

Aki, begin your move into Iwa with your entire team. Orochimaru stated he has a well concealed base there. I need more information on them, since almost no one holds anything substantial or up to date on the country. Be mindful, do not interfere with the country unless you know that you won't be spotted, targeted, or lead back. I don't want to loose the cover there, it's too valuable to get that far into their country unnoticed and remain for an extended period. Orochimaru, are the new seals ready to be implemented?"

"I can tag everyone before we leave, Kabuto can assist as well so it shouldn't take but a few minutes" responded the Sanin.

"Ok, good. Kakuzu, continue your hunting but if you can try to regulate how often you move for now with Deidara. I got a message from an undercover operative in Kumo they have caught wind of your movements while you were there and stationed more guards at the smaller villages. If you must, you know where some contacts are deeper in Demon country so try to move towards there for a month or so. Is there any questions?"

"Yeah, when's this plan of your supposed to go down? Getting old moving after small fry" said Deidara, earning a glare from his partner.

"Not for at least a few more months to a year. We need at least two nations fully on board, possibly one willing to look the other way unless we want the world falling down on us."

Sasuke spoke this time "Are you wanting us to move out tomorrow or do we have a few days to rest here? I don't think we've stopped moving since last year."

"You can all stay a week at most, unless you feel the need to stay longer for personal issues, but a week would be best. We have a lot to accomplish."

"Alright."

"Where will you be during all this?" asked Konan.

"Attempting to get good relations with Suna actually. Their chunin exams is coming soon and I thought about attending as a guest of the Kazekage since I got an invitation. One last note, these seals have a limitless range and allow contact with every group connected with it. Each one will have everyone's group seal to push chakra into before speaking. This allows for a much broader form of near instant communication and it will allow for response to all groups as well. I will be the only one with contact to Squad Zero as they aren't supposed to even exist in the first place. Now, is everyone good? Wonderful, Orochimaru, let's get this over with."

* * *

Naruto leaned back in his chair inside his office, enjoying the privacy of it's location. It hidden away, spaced far away from any other room with a much thicker layer around it to protect from attackers on any side. It also made it fairly quite if he didn't have the fan overhead going. He thought back to the meeting, feeling the new tattoos behind his ear, each one with the number kanji for each squad. He was happy to see the growth in everyone. Sasuke seemed to have come much farther under his brothers guidance, last he looked the Uchiha was inching into Yugao's old level of skill and on his way to combat Kakashi in pure power alone. The young Uchiha was still far from Yugao's current level, having trained with her for the time they were away and both excelled exponentially during the time away. As Yugao had said once "I feel as if I've moved up almost three steps from my peak before but in your case you jumped up two flights of stairs." What could he say, he knew what was coming after all this.

Konan seemed much happier in her new position and Sasori was…..Sasori as the newest member seemed fairly civil. Ren showed off a few new scars along his arms and he could sense both he and Zabuza had grown since they last met. Aki and Kiyo showed just as much growth as Sasuke and he was pleased with his former teammates progress. Aki's swords strapped to his waist, one wrapped for deadly battle and the other used for menial combat already showed the man was confident enough to need two for separate levels of combat. The way Kiyo just seemed to hold herself alone showed her new confidence and skill, he barley even heard her move around when they shuffled around to get the seals. Orochimaru was….still the same along with Kabuto and the same could be said for Deidara and Kakuzu.

Overall, everyone he was concerned with showed improvement, monumental improvement but his worry for Itachi was growing. It had been a long time since they talked in person and the last conversation didn't go so well. His thoughts were shut off when Itachi entered the cracked door, Sasuke shortly after to shut it behind them.

"What's up?" asked Naruto, keeping the conversation casual. These were friends, no need to be strict outside the meeting now.

"I wanted to ask a couple questions about my mission before Sasuke asked one of his own." Naruto nodded his head and let the two sit down before Itachi continued.

"Be honest, did you send me there so Tsunade could look into my sickness and possibly help my eye sight?"

"Yes and no. I know how your sight is and I know the way to fix that but you and I both know the sickness can be cured which could extend your life more than what you have now. Even without your sight Itachi, you are extremely strong. If you couldn't see I'd have you accustomed to the head of the freelance, keeping up contacts with them and saving you combat issues as Sasuke should be ready by then to take over your position. Does this upset you?"

"No, I just wanted to hear your side of it and what you had plans for. I told you I trust your judgement but I like to hear what your planning sometimes since you like to keep quite and internalize everything. My other issue is Danzo. He will eventually see my closeness with Shizune and I know this hasn't gotten past you. The anbu we use are already pushing the point with every meeting."

"I know, and I want that to happen. I want him to question everything, worry more, become paranoid and slip up. Once he does, whatever that slip up is, then you should be called upon to act as you have before under Konoha. Wet Works. That will solidify the trust between you and Tsunade by then, and destroy most doubt as well." As all this was spoken Sasuke really got introduced to why Naruto was who he was and why he held that position. He seemed to plan for everything, right down to the wire, knowing the lack in power in many aspects put them under water. To Sasuke, he was fit for that position more than anyone he could really think of, almost more than his brother but mainly because his brother placed his faith fully in the blonde.

"Now, Sasuke. What's your question?"

"I have one for the mission and another not pertaining to it. The mission question is where it you wanted me to start with?"

"Travel with Itachi until you reach the border of Fire country, meet the contacts just at the edge there and make your way counter clockwise against contacts. Ignore Demon country and Crescent Moon island but touch up the others and I did have a request for you. Check up on Uzushiogakure island please. I want to make sure it's still as it was and the seals haven't been tampered with."

"Will do, I'll contact you once I reach the island. Outside of the mission, I wanted to ask you a personal favor. Would you spar with me?"

"Spar?"

"More of a mock battle, don't be afraid to injure but keep it light so we can move within a week."

Naruto hummed for a moment before standing "Sure. Let's have some fun for a bit!"

* * *

Naruto stood across from Sasuke at the large field set aside near the front gate of the castle, their obvious clearing of the yard from workers made it clear what was happening. As Naruto pressed his gloved hand to the chains on his wrist they sealed away inside before he took them off and handed them to Silver nearby. By then most of the Knights were nearby to watch and Mei had even walked down as she was nearby when she noticed a crown near the front gathering.

"I won't use much past taijutsu and a few smaller jutsu, so we don't damage this place" said Sasuke and Naruto smiled.

"I'd hope you wouldn't hold back on my account. The seals here will protect any outside attacks to the grounds and castle, only interior attacks cause damage. You know that already" said Naruto, stretching a little as Sasuke drew his sword. The blonde hummed before summoning a kunai in his right hand. The moment it appeared Sasuke was upon him, sword poised to strike his throat but the blonde quickly use his own weapon to parry it up into the air and followed up with a hard kick to the stomach. The force behind the kick sent Sasuke skidding but he recovered quickly and disappeared, reappearing behind with another strike aimed for his ribs. In an impressive feat of flexibility and speed Naruto leaned forward and brought his left foot backwards at the same time, hitting the Uchiha in the chin. The blow did nearly no damage but stunned him momentarily, long enough for Naruto to spin and bring his arm around. By then the Uchiha was aware of what was coming, and what the blondes fist would do if it made contact. His sharingan spun to life quickly and he bolted right, not seeing any further movement from that side but he didn't know all of Naruto's quirks. With speed Sasuke hadn't seen since fighting high ranking ninja, Naruto's hand was wrapped around his throat before hoisting him high in the air and throwing him against the castle's bordering wall.

"I wasn't planning on taking it easy on you either, Sasuke. Your sharingan saw me, I noticed it's movements but you can't keep up with that speed. You need some work but you show promise in your abilities."

The Uchiha smirked "I'm glad you think so. I'm just getting started now. **Chidori spear!"** The hand aimed at Naruto suddenly was lit up in lightning before it shot forward with intent to take out the blonde's shoulder. He quickly avoided it with a side dash but ducked under the swipe before it faded away. Naruto sense the chakra of Sasuke appear quickly in front of him and he saw the shadow overhead before it closed in. He barely had time to move backwards before a heel almost grazed his nose and slammed into the ground with a mighty crash, kicking up a cloud of dust. Within a second Naruto appeared out of it, dashing backwards as Sasuke followed, his hand once more encased in lightning once more. As Naruto slid to a halt Sasuke neared but the leg he hit the ground with seemed to give way, forcing him to the ground just in front of Naruto.

Using this to his advantage Sasuke spoke **"Chidori Stream!"** As his hand hit, lightning ran across the ground around him, electrocuting the blonde until he burst into a cloud of smoke.

' _Shadow clone?! When?!'_ thought Sasuke before another cloud of smoke appeared behind him. His eyes never followed it but as he stood up a hand grabbed his face and slammed him hard into the ground as a kunai rested against his neck. He glanced up to see the smiling blonde.

"When you attacked and the dust appeared, I set my plan in motion. The kunai was a clone which I transformed and sealed away so I just switched places with it and he dropped me as soon as we made it out of the dust cloud. When you attacked, I was out of range so once it died off the clone was gone and I made my appearance. Word of the wise, work on your chakra control and leg strength before trying to imitate Tsunade's crazy leg kicks. Otherwise great job!" He lifted the Uchiha up with a hand and let his other kunai reseal away.

"You showed some versatile moves in a short time and reacted accordingly even though you couldn't keep up with my speed. You tried distance then used it to distract me before delivering a strong blow. You'll be greater in no time at all if you keep training when you can and experience will only broaden your abilities!"

Sasuke bowed his head a little "Thank you, Naruto." He was frankly upset the blonde easily defeated him in the spar. Of course, they weren't going all out but it seemed just a little too easy for him to do what he did. It made the Uchiha wonder. What was he really capable of if he was fighting for his life? His title certainly wasn't just for his thinking abilities as he just showed. He was going to say more but suddenly felt a heavy weight crash down on him. He noticed everyone else was having the same problem, only Naruto seemed fairly unaffected by the sudden intrusion and only looked to the castle. He snapped his fingers and nothing happened and at that point Sasuke noticed the maid was gone. Why did she leave with his things?

He snapped again and spoke "Selkie." Nothing. His face showed minor irritation as the weight increased a little more before he changed his approach, shouting this time in an odd manner.

"Kiana!" he shouted with a snap of his fingers. In the blink of an eye she appeared in front of him, her form glowing dark purple and her face contorted into what seemed to be anger with her hand outstretched. As soon as she saw Naruto the weight disappeared, her form stopped glowing, her hand dropped and she seemed rather shocked to be there.

"What are you doing?" asked the blonde, showing obvious signs of irritation.

She used sign language to talk _'The older man started to try and map the area. I attempted to direct him back his room but he refused and stated he was just getting exercise but you know I see everything in the castle. He didn't fool me. I asked more forcefully and he batted me away, stating I was being a rude maid and should keep to my business. I got angry and forced him to stand still. I was about to bring him to you before I was summoned.'_

Naruto's frowned deepened "Very well. Walk the Mizukage to the secondary meeting room and gather her younger guard. Itachi, please get our guest and escort him to the secondary meeting room." Without another word the blonde disappeared in a burst of speed as Selkie moved to lead the Mizukage and Itachi followed suit with Naruto.

"Maa maa, Kakuzu-dana. Things might get rowdy soon."

"Your lack of knowledge bothers me. If it took that much to make Naruto fight then we'd have killed him long ago."

"Pretty heavy there man" said Deidara but never got another response back.

"Ao….that's a familiar name" said Orochimaru, gaining other Knight's attention.

"You know him?" asked Konan.

"Oh no. I just heard he was a very…..as you say, by the books man on the outside. Under all that, he was a ruthless hunter ninja and anbu member, fairly well known during the third war actually. He wasn't a pleasant man to deal with but he's strong for a jonin. I wondered if he'd do something like that while here."

"Now he's on Naruto's bad side, not a very good thing to do" said Sasori, his captain agreeing with him.

* * *

Naruto sat down, looking rather impatient as Mei and a very nervous Chojuro were seating across from him. They had been sitting for a few minutes, not told much but brought to this room. Mei didn't know sign language so she couldn't know what the strange maid had said to Naruto but he wasn't happy with Ao for some reason.

' _What did you fuck up Ao?!'_ thought the red head before the door opened and Ao stepped in stiffly. Frankly, he was nervous after the experience with the maid, her sudden disappearance and the appearance of Itachi Uchiha of all people. When he walked in and saw Naruto sitting down and his team he knew shit was already hitting the fan.

"Itachi close the door and stay outside if I call. Ao, sit down, now." His calm, friendly tone he held before with the trio had disappeared and now they sat in front of a very irritated king. Mei had seen the fight, he wasn't a pushover but her skill rating on him was still loose since she didn't see much. He sat quickly, not saying a word.

"I would like you to tell us what you were doing just a few minutes ago."

"I….I-I was looking around, seeing what this place had to offer. It's quite lavish and I wondered what kind of amenities you had-"

Naruto's killing intent leaked out a little, unnerving the man "Do not lie to me, Ao. I'm not in the mood for whatever games your playing. I may seem like a child but I assure you, my wit is sharp and my blade sharper. Do. Not. Test. Me." The cold blue eyes bore into his skull, making him sweat a little. He wasn't scared per say of the blonde that much but the fact of his location. If he was in Mizu, he wouldn't even be nervous but with the famous clan killer outside and the multiple massive chakra's all around he wasn't in a position to feel safe.

He gulped and spoke "As I stated, I was-"

"Ao!" shouted Mei, making Chojuro jump and causing the man in question to look at her in shock. She rarely raised her voice, and at him was even more of a rarity.

"You have disgraced our village and my title enough! Unless you wish to be court marshalled right now I suggest you speak the truth before this man here finds a way to wring it from you!" His shock was now clearly evident and he never expected that. He didn't know his kage had any inkling of his actions, he never meant to make it known until they left the grounds. There was nothing left in his hands to play. The blonde had won this battle.

"I was….mapping the building as best I could with a basic layout of the area."

"Give him the paper. Now." With a bowed head, he handed the sheet that held nearly a quarter of the castles middle level near the edge of the complex.

Naruto spoke as he snapped his fingers "Nekomi." In a swirl of fire, a small woman appeared, almost childlike in appearance but the two fiery tales and ears set her off immediately for the Mizu group.

"Burn this" said the blonde, holding out the paper. Selkie, who had been standing in the corner of the room stepped forward, holding a trashcan over the paper as the small woman held her tail over the papers edge. It caught just enough and began to smolder away, ashes falling into the can as Naruto kept full eye contact with the blue haired jonin. No one said a word as the paper crumbled away. Once it was done the cat like woman seemed to move next to him and sit down near his chair and the maid moved back to her post in the corner.

"Mizukage-dono, do you recommend a punishment? I feel my earlier spar has my blood pumping so I don't think my idea would be proper. I have been disrespected in my own home, my own guest taking advantage of my hospitality and then attempting to lie to my face as if I was living under a rock. I don't take kindly to such disrespect." Naruto made it clear then, to all three ninja, he wasn't here to be treated as a child in power. He gained this because he was capable to do so, not given it by name right. Naruto needed to show he wasn't going to let things slide and he wasn't afraid to be rough.

"When we return home I will be doling my own harsh hand for such actions while visiting here as esteemed guests. Please have faith in my own judgement but I would prefer to be the one to deliver the punishment befitting lying to both you, and in turn myself, and the actions committed previously, your liege" said Mei, the full honorifics now coming into play. She knew there was now a barrier between the group, at least to her guard and a small extent to them. Making an enemy with someone like this boy who had a multitude of S-rank ninja at his command was not a game to be played so lightly. She was extremely upset with things right now. With one having close relations to her village just made it all the more dire for them.

"Very well then, Ao. As much as I want to see you bleed I will place my faith in your _honorable_ kage, unlike yourself. You are no longer welcome on this property after leaving and Mei-dono, please refrain from bringing him as a guard anymore. I wouldn't like to turn him away after such a long journey. Silver will walk you back to your room and from now on Nekomi will also escort you around the premises. I apologize for such restrictions on your party, but I hope you understand. Nekomi, Selkie, only the Mizukage is allowed restricted access from now on and I want Selkie to be her guide if she is to walk around. Do not let them out of your sight, Nekomi." The cat like woman smiled brightly and saluted as the maid walked forward, bowing silently.

"Mizukage, you and you alone are welcome to use the hot springs connected to the tower you are staying in. Feel free to use it whenever you wish." The group stood, all three bowed and Naruto retuned with a nod of his head before they all exited. Itachi was just outside the door, his eyes cracked open as the trio left with their two guards and Naruto walked towards him.

"Did things go well?"

"The Mizukage seemed upset about the issue and I let her oversee his punishment. A gesture of good faith for the new alliance I guess. Nekomi and Selkie are to guard them at all times but while you around try to keep an eye on them. Speak with squad three as well, let them know of what happened since you could read what she said. They'll need to pay attention in case he tries to get back at them in Kirigakure" said Naruto as the walked towards Naruto's personal quarters.

"A smart gesture on your part, it should help the alliance more showing you let them deal with a minor matter without your own heavy hand. I'll speak with Ren now before I go and get some rest. You need some too soon, you've been getting things ready and all day and you had a very busy second half of the day.""

"I know, Itachi, I know. I'll see you tomorrow, ne?"

"Of course." With his arrival at his room the Uchiha left and Naruto entered. It wasn't far from the Mizukage's room actually. The guest tower was on one side, towards the far end on the left and the Knights quarters were all stationed at the tower on the far-right end. All of the other quarters for regular service members, traveling or home working, were split between the other two at the other end of the last building. The castle was set as so, business, books and other such things in the front, living and another smaller half library, half lounge in the back, with a large hot spring at the bottom at the end of the grounds. All around the castle, between the castle and the barrier wall, was a very well kept and serene garden with all kinds of plants, roses and a mix of small trees as well. Only the front remained somewhat barren and large, leaving for an ideal sparring ground for light training. If things were going to get messy, one would take it just outside where there was plenty of forest and plains nearby to battle.

Silently, the blonde grabbed a change of clothes and walked down to the basement, leaving both clothes in his personal locker he walked into the hot springs. This was his best way to relax after a long day but he was quickly interrupted only a few minutes in when the door opened and out walked Konan.

"Well hello there" said the blonde waving to her. She smiled and nodded her head, keeping the towel on as she entered, placing a dry one nearby as she took the wet one off under the water.

"It's been a while since we've enjoyed a nice springs together, huh?" asked Konan, using the bucket to wash her back off with water.

"Yeah, way too long. How's Snow been?"

"Cold but bearable. We've got a fairly easy job and Sasori only complains about the useless ninja once a week now instead of every day when I see him. Nadare is helping them train too but he's less then happy to be working anywhere near some of them. The Princess is doing good, she's trying her hardest to learn the system and build her country back up from what is was. How was the trip outside the nation?"

"Terrifying." That caught Konan by surprise as Naruto was rarely every heard using that word. Next to nothing really scared him.

"The border protectors alone were difficult to deal with and honestly without Hitome's help we may have never made it past them. Once we got beyond there it got even worse. The summoner lands was riddled with messes and we had to…create a new seat in power to fix the fucked up system that had overthrown the last one." Overthrown, Konan knew the meaning. Whoever was in charge is either dead or dying as they speak.

"What of the rest of the time?"

"I met a few contacts at the edge but the summoners lands control all of the edge, so we returned to the border and trained for the rest of the time. I still had been called back to the land for some diplomacy issues and I helped a little at the border between the clans guarding it. They were hospitable after the first meeting and we learned a lot."

"Ok, besides what I could guess from that, why did you call I terrifying?"

"The demon clan, their leader to be exact, I've never met someone so well versed with a blade. Even when I watched Itachi move around, it paled to hers. I haven't ever met someone that knew Hitome's human form either."

"W-what? She hasn't been out of the seal in-"

"A very long time, I know what that implies but as I said. Hitome got us out of that mess and I didn't pry for information against her even though she trained us and gave us our current night time gate guards.

"The twins?"

"Yes, one from the demon clan, one a holy ronin, formerly hell bent on 'saving her sister.' After a brief fight, a lot of blood and her sister's own words, things settled down. All that as we were returning, and we didn't even intend to run into her. Small world we live in."

Konan shook her head and sighed "I'm just glad my life wasn't as eventful as yours seems to be right now. Mine is finally settling down after all these years." Just then Itachi walked in, seeing the two he seemed to smile a little before dipping into the water silently as Naruto put a towel on and stepped out.

"I'll leave you two love birds alone to enjoy the bath. I won't forge to put the private sign up too" said Naruto, ignoring the feeling of Itachi's sharingan boring holes in him as he left, got dressed in a casual outfit and returned to his room. On arriving he moved to his private study he saw Hitome sitting in the large plush couch reading a book about Kiri. To him, this was one of his greatest jutsu to ever learn and one that took him a long time to full master at this level. It was called _Astral Body Projection_ and normally used as a transparent copy of yourself tethered to your chakra. He tied it in through a few extra seals etched on his chest, linking the tether to Hitome's chakra. The added side effect was she wasn't transparent but seemed completely normal, she could interact with most objects but anything organic like a human, plants, animals and such she would pass right through. It was enough for him though, even though she seemed like a ghost it was just enough seeing her outside his mindscape and in the real world.

She looked up from her book and smiled "Glad to see you looking a little more relaxed."

"Yeah, I didn't spend too much time there since Itachi showed up and Konan was there so I let them have their time alone. I guess this way we get ours too." She rested her head on his shoulder, or it seemed as so, and she continued to read once again.

"Hmm, it would seem so. You handled the issue with the Mizukage well enough, good for a first time problem with a brand new alliance." As they began to enjoy the silence and Naruto was starting to doze off Nekomi appeared near him, resting on his leg.

"Is there a reason you're here and not watching our guest?"

"They went to sleep and Selkie said she'd let me know if he gets up. I don't think he'll get any ideas after what happened."

"And what is that, little kitten?" asked Hitome.

Flashback

 _Mei got her spare change of clothes and tucked them on her arm as she prepared to leave with Selkie as her guide to the general springs area. She stopped when Ao stood suddenly and spoke._

" _Someone must go to guard you, Mizukage-sama! We cannot let you move alone now that we've angered the ruler of the castle and his….men." He finished slowly when he got a glare from the busty woman._

" _You. Angered the man and his guards, not us. I am perfectly capable bathing alone without a watch man at someone else's public springs. Besides, I don't think these two would let you leave if you wanted" said Mei, reaching for the door but her guard stepped forward, intent to speak sense into his kage. The moment he moved towards the door it was coated in flowing fire, not burning the wood but acting as a deterrent barrier. The short woman stepped in between Mei and Ao, her once warm and happy smile replaced with a cold grin as her one red and one blue eye narrowed at him._

" _Hey dumbass, here the girly? You can't leave here till it's time to go, you got a bath, a toilet, a bed and some books if your just bored. Keep pushing and I'll break your legs, 'kay?" If her sudden shift in attitude didn't shock them, or the ability to control fire as she did, the language and easy of how she spoke certainly unnerved them._

" _You wouldn't da-"_

" _Wanna die, eyepatch?" asked the girl, her tails now turning fully blue as she took a step forward but stopped when Selkie placed a hand on her shoulder. The taller woman pointed to Ao and back to his seat which he slowly moved to. Nekomi pouted as the base of her tail returned red and she moved to look at Mei._

" _I'll lead you, red. Selkie would probably do better here since she'll only knock him out instead of trying to barbeque him. C'mon!" Mei left the room, still in a little shock as she followed closely behind._

" _I know you have red hair too, so why call me red?"_

" _Mine is crimson, much better than yours. Naruto-sama said to be nice to you, so I can't call you cow or bimbo but your hair is too bright so I'll call you Red. Unless you wanna let me call you cow lady!" said the Neko, turning with an excited smile to which Mei shook her head._

" _Well poo, off we go then!"_

Flashback end

"That's what happened with cow lady." Hitome laughed a little, finding the nickname well put and funny. She wasn't lacking in the department but she certainly didn't have such assets like that woman did.

"Now shhhhh, nap time is the best time" said Nekomi, curling around Naruto's legs as Hitome got comfortable against his side. Slowly, he could feel his eyes closing, slowly, he let his consciousness slip.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes again to see everyone gone around him.

"Hmm, Hitome must have gone back in the seal to sleep better. Did Nekomi go off to another room to sleep alone? Ah well, I need to get something to drink. My throat's so dry" said the blonde, rubbing his neck as he walked out of the study and into the main hall. Making his way down a few flights of stairs he saw the large study for private guests and Knights was in shambles. Books were pulled out, chairs thrown around, ninja tools where scattered. Now he had his full attention on point.

"What the hell?! Did Ao go crazy?! Why did no one wake me?" he jumped down stairs, landing on the ruined library and sensed someone in the large dinning room in front of the library. He rushed through the kitchen and stopped dead to see Nagato's main path. However, he was standing in the carnage of the dinning room. Kakuzu was slumped at the other end, Deidara was nailed to the wall with black rods while Sasori was strewn across the broken table, ripped apart and pierced through his 'heart.' Pein lowered the body of Konan who was no longer of this world.

He saw red "You. You piece of FILTH!"

"Now you see true pain, the path I wanted for you but it's too late for peasantries. I have no time for your games anymore, boy." With a lift of his arm Naruto felt himself being dragged across the room, right before a spike shot out of the path of Pein and pierced through his spine. Blinding, searing pain shot through his body as he hung there.

"Sleep jinchuuriki, your purpose has been fulfilled." Naruto saw him lift another hand, a rod that had slain Konan second ago now poised at him. Then, he only saw black when it rushed towards him.

* * *

Hitome was awoken by surprise when Naruto shot forward, screaming in rage. He seemed to be searching for something while he began to pull on her chakra only not getting a response. She appeared in front of him, her form solidifying as she stood there and saw his pain filled eyes. Slowly she brought her hands to his face, the motion alone not felt but understood by Naruto.

"Calm yourself, Naruto. Nothings wrong, everyone's ok and your safe, I'm safe. Relax." His eyes, once bleeding red now shifted back to their normal azure and he slumped over a little. Nekomi stood up and helped him back to the couch where he sat back down.

"What happened?" asked Hitome while she stood in front of him, Nekomi providing her natural warmth as she curled up against his side.

"It's just a nightmare" said Naruto, closing his eyes as he started to rub the bridge of his nose.

"The same one you've had before?" asked the young girl by his side and received a nod of his head.

"I think it's less of an omen and more my mind stressing out about what could happen. Last time it was Konoha burning, but it's always from someone I know and everyone is dead around me."

Hitome sighed "I'd been trying to warrant this out on my own but I don't think I can anymore, it seems like more and more of a possibility. Do you remember how I spoke about the adverse effects of my chakra?"

Naruto opened his eyes and nodded "Yeah, I only sustain most of the damage because of my Uzumaki blood and the fact I was born to a host and became one as soon as I was born."

"I think this may be a side effect of both the seals and my chakra. The seals used an extremely large portion of my chakra to create and it was permanently etched into your skin, always active to a degree while my charka has it's own adverse effects. Your body can withstand it but I believe your mind is plagued by the negative energy that flows through it. Nothing can stop it, it's apart of all bijuu chakra but no one has such seals as I, nor do any of my brethren have as potent of chakra like I do."

"You think the damage is already done, using your chakra created the problem inside my own head but its nothing we can control. The negative energy within the seals alone makes these nightmares possible and using more just creates more frequent dreams."

"Yes."

Naruto sighed heavily then stood "Then there's nothing to do than to move past it as best I can. Maybe when all this war is over I'll be able to quell the number of nightmares. For now, I have a job to do. Nekomi, what time is it?"

"It's nearly 7 am."

Naruto stuttered in surprise "I slept that long! Get Mei and her team ready for departure and tell Yugao it's time to move. I have business to attend to in Suna." Without a word the cat like woman disappeared in a swirl of fire, leaving the two alone as Naruto walked to his dressing room to change.

"Liking the kingly attire so far?" asked Hitome with a smirk from his frown.

"It's nice, but irritating knowing what comes with it. The end goal is my priority but everything else involved is a hassle. Guess the title of King isn't just for show then now hahaha!" She only smiled and shook her head, finding her lovers antics funny but her smile faded. Her mind too was plagued with thoughts but not ones she was in the mood to entertain at the moment. She had lost track of time and he had finished, looking at her in questioning.

"What's the matter?" asked Naruto causing her to snap up.

"N-nothing! Just lost in thought is all."

"About?"

"I'll….we'll speak about it when I'm ready. I'm not done thinking it over just yet, it's an idea really, for the future." That piqued his interest and he smiled, walking past her and towards the door to leave.

"Are you staying here or are you going with me?"

She spun on her heel and rushed to his outstretched hand "I'm coming with you. You wouldn't last a second outside the grounds without me." The moment their fingers touched she disappeared, her form and consciousness fading back into the seal and into his mindscape. With that done he pushed open the doors and walked downstairs, moving through the library and past a few workers organizing books or cleaning. As he moved past the lower level of the Knights rooms Naruto saw Kakuzu, Hidan and Deidara down the hall, just near the walkway separating the two sections of the castle. As he walked up to Kakuzu and noticed he was arguing with Deidara Naruto intended to intervene. Right up until Hidan superplexed Kakuzu making the blonde walk just a little faster down the hall. His adoptive uncles were, if nothing else, scary when they were angry.

As Naruto made it into the main castle area he was stopped when Aki appeared before him in a burst of speed. Not expecting such a thing Naruto nearly stumbled back a little making Aki chuckle which he earned a short glare.

"That wasn't very kind of you, Aki."

"True, but it was hilarious. I'm about to move out with Orochimaru and everyone else. Mifune wanted me to give this to you once I saw you again. He says it exactly as you asked, to the letter." The brown haired man opened his cloak and handed him a fully wrapped sword then bowed.

"Kiyo's already outside so I need to get going. Good luck, old friend."

"The same to you, travel safely." A moment later he was gone, leaving no trace of his existence. Naruto wrapped the weapon and smiled in satisfaction. The weapon was a double sided sword, a rarity in this area. As was his halberd and Naruto enjoyed having the oddities. It made him much harder to fight against. It had a black sheath reaching all the way to the gold crescent moon shaped guard. Beyond the guard was a solid black leather handle topped with the Uzumaki symbol sticking out of the hilt. A weapon fit for a king, elegant, unique and well crafted. He pulled the belt open that was already tied to the sheathes clip and strapped it to the left side of his hip. It hung low and nearly parallel to his leg so he could wear a cloak and still keep it easily concealed.

"Quite a weapon, Naruto" said Yugao as she walked next to him from behind.

"I'm glad it made it in time for the trek. I'm tired of having to pull out my best weapon for basic fights all the time. Makes keeping all my trump cards concealed pointless when I start swinging that thing around. Is the Mizukage ready to depart as well?"

"Last I was told by Nekomi they were headed to the front already when she went to meet them. They're probably already waiting on us."

"No sense in letting them wait anymore! Onward!" his sudden shout made a few workers jump a little and his guard sigh as she rested her head in her hand.

"One of these days…I swear." They made their way through the last portion of the castle, nodding off to Konan and Itachi that were planning something on world map and waving to Ren who walked by wearing what was all to obviously pajamas. The man really did get comfortable when he was at home, no matter who was around. Once they hade made it too the giant doors of the castle wall barrier both king and guard met with the kage and her guards.

"I trust the stay was well?"

"The bed was much more comfortable than most hotels, or a tent we normally use. Once again, thank you for such hospitality Naruto-dono. Our alliance is sure to blossom in the coming months" said Mei as the doors began to open slowly.

"I make sure all my guests are comfortable, despite their past grievances, as long as they are within these grounds they are treated with the same respect I treat them. It was a pleasure to have you and I can't wait to visit your own village in due time. Best wishes with your travels, Mei-dono."

She bowed her head, Naruto mimicking "Good luck with your own travels." After they made it past the doors and the last words were given her team took off into the forest just ahead.

"Those tits have to weigh her down" said one guard making the other snigger. The one that spoke first was dressed professionally, looking just as Naruto had with slight uniform modifications, including a skirt and a katana.

"If only I could see them, I'd be making some jokes too" responded the other, her ice white eyes narrowing from her laughter. She had on a loose brown kimono top with a grey bottom, ending with wooden sandals. She held two swords, one regular length katana and a smaller nodachi length just above the other. These were the twins, one of the demon clan, another a holy warrior who used to wish her death. Now they served him as gate guards and their shift was about to end in a few minutes. They looked exactly the same save for their dress, the twin wielding one had her hair out of a pony tail and well….she was blind. An obvious give away due to how her eyes looked.

"Keep this place in order while I'm gone. You guys are the guard heads so make sure no one tries to be lenient now that I'm going away."

"I know" drawled the professional one.

"Don't be so informal, Mira."

"He said I could be as long as I worked here Suyin. I'm doing as I was allowed." She was graced with a tongue sticking out, granted it was more sticking out just on front of Mira but she took offense. Naruto chuckled then ushered Yugao after him as he took off into southwest. There was no time to waste anymore, reports were coming in that Suna was already in a troubled spot and Naruto needed to help his friend as quickly as he could.

 **Done! Done done done! This is my new longest story at over 23,000 words and boy did I scrape for every single one. It's finally complete and I have a good double update for you guys and girls. It's a lot but I felt it was needed to breath some fiber into this husk of a story. More words, more plot! The next chapter you'll see a lot more of Naruto interacting as a regular person since making an alliance doesn't happen overnight. He'll spend time there to create one and make some friends along the way. Next chapters shouldn't be so big but who knows anymore! I sure as fuck don't! Hope you guys enjoyed it, I'm putting a lot of effort into a fairly small story of mine. What can I say? I really do like this concept. Take care everyone and you'll see me again someday!**


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